Wijnaldum: 'I'm happy to play anywhere'

Wijnaldum is versatile in midfield, with former manager Rafael Benitez saying he was "so good, he can play everywhere and do well".

Published : Jul 30, 2016 19:35 IST

Georginio Wijnaldum may face AC Milan at the International Champions Cup on Saturday.
Georginio Wijnaldum may face AC Milan at the International Champions Cup on Saturday.
lightbox-info

Georginio Wijnaldum may face AC Milan at the International Champions Cup on Saturday.

Liverpool's new recruit Georginio Wijnaldum is open to playing anywhere at his new club as he looks ahead to his non-competitive debut.

The 25-year-old joined Liverpool in a reported £23million move from Newcastle United earlier in July.

Wijnaldum is versatile in midfield, with former manager Rafael Benitez saying he was "so good, he can play everywhere and do well".

The 30-time Netherlands international, however, said he would feature wherever needed by manager Jurgen Klopp.

"I can play in different positions and if I can do what I'm good at, score goals, show how good I can play football, then it's OK with me," Wijnaldum told a news conference.

Wijnaldum said Benitez, who was in charge at Anfield from 2004-10, wanted him to stay at the Championship club.

"He only told me that it was a big club, but he wanted me to stay at Newcastle," he said.

"He said, 'If there is not a good offer, you will stay at Newcastle' and that's the only thing that he said. When they had an agreement about a transfer, he said 'congratulations'."

As for training under Klopp, Wijnaldum said it was far different to his previous experience in England.

The former Feyenoord and PSV man, who may face AC Milan at the International Champions Cup on Saturday, said it was similar to sessions in his homeland.

"It's not quite what I'm used to. I was at Newcastle for a year and we were playing totally different," Wijnaldum said.

"We were playing on the counter-attack so the training is different because you don't train how we train right now. It's different if you compare it to Newcastle, but if you compare it to the training in Holland, it's quite similar," said the Netherlands forward.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment