GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM says he is relishing his new role under Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp – and might have revealed his manager’s tactics at the same time.
The Reds midfielder has been deployed in a deeper role this season as new players such as Naby Keita have come in to the side.
However, the versatile Dutchman claims he is happy to fill any role that Klopp asks him to.
And the 28-year-old also gave an insight into his boss’s methods in an interview with the club’s official website.
“When I spoke to the manager here he said to me that we don’t really play with a No 10, that we play with two No 8s and that I would be one of the eights,” he said.
“In the No 6 position we had Jordan Henderson and Emre Can and Kevin Stewart, so we had a few players there.
“But in my second season he said: ‘I think you can play No 6 also and we might use you there in some games, so be prepared’.
“So, during training I was playing there sometimes and during the pre-season games in Hong Kong I played there.
“But in actual games I only played there twice, against Manchester City and Everton I think.
“This season I’ve played there quite a lot and it’s gone quite well. I enjoy it.”
Wijnaldum has been a victim of his own versatility in the past but appears to have nailed down a spot in what Klopp believes to be his strongest Liverpool team.
As a youngster he was often played out wide because of pace and he is delighted to have found his best position.
“People were trying to get me off thinking that I’m a midfielder, and trying to put in my head that I was a winger,” he added.
“There were loads of managers who said: ‘You have to concentrate on being a winger because you have more potential there’.
“But I was like: ‘You can say what you want, but I’m a midfielder and I know what’s the best for me’.
“So, I just focused on midfield, and look where I am today.
“I was full of confidence in myself that I would reach the top or be a professional player as a midfielder.”
Source:www.express.co.uk