The Belgium international signed a contract extension with the Reds, and his boss says any effects from his 2016 injury are in the past
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said that Divock Origi is like a new signing after the 24-year-old forward signed a new long-term deal at Anfield.
Origi had appeared to be on the outside looking in with the Reds early in the 2018-19 season, not even making the match-day squad until October, but he exploded in the latter stages of the campaign, bagging crucial goals as Liverpool swept to Champions League glory.
The Belgium international scored twice in the semi-final second leg as the Merseyside club won 4-0 to overcome a 3-0 first leg deficit against Barcelona.
He also scored the second goal in the 2-0 final win over Spurs, and those performances were instrumental in seeing Origi sign new terms.
His head coach said it was clear from the striker’s performances in training that he had finally recovered from a serious injury he sustained in 2016, as a result of a poor tackle by Everton’s Ramiro Funes Mori.
“Divock made the decisive step in the last couple of weeks of last season and he deserved it [the contract extension],” the German told the Liverpool Echo .
“Not only because he trained, it’s like [his injury problems] fell off him.
“Since he got that injury, it was just glimpses here and there. But then we were training and you saw it, Divock’s back. It is the Divock Origi the whole world wanted.”
Prior to the injury that threatened to derail his Anfield career Origi looked like becoming a star. He scored in both legs of the Europa League quarter-final against Dortmund that year, in what was, to that point, his standout performance.
His stock had fallen so far last year that he almost left to join Wolves, but said a gut feeling made him stay and fight for his place.
Klopp said that he’s now back to where he was after the Dortmund game: an attractive player to a host of top clubs, with his coach happy he chose Liverpool.
“If you could have asked at that moment the clubs around after the Dortmund away game ‘Divock Origi, do you want him?’ there would have been lots of clubs,” the former Dortmund coach continued
“That’s the situation now. Now we have to help him. He looks completely fine, has signed the new contract, all good. A new signing!”
Be the first to comment