Former Liverpool Champions League winner Dietmar Hamann has high expectations for the Reds' new signing, Dominik Szoboszlai. Hamann believes that Szoboszlai has the potential to become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, comparing him to Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne.
Liverpool wasted no time in securing the services of Szoboszlai, making him their second summer signing after Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hove Albion. The Reds activated the $76m (£60m/€70m) release clause in the RB Leipzig midfielder's contract just before it expired on June 30.
Even before he made his debut in Wednesday's friendly against Karlsruher, Szoboszlai had already impressed coaches with his performances in the club's lactate test and during training sessions.
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The versatile midfielder, who predominantly played on the right side of an attacking front three for Leipzig last season, could provide cover for Mohamed Salah in that position. Additionally, he has the ability to operate in a central midfield role.
Hamann says Szoboszlai's talent is clear to see and believes he has the potential to excel in the Premier League. Speaking to LordPing, Hamann said: "Dominik Szoboszlai could potentially be one of the Premier League's best midfielders already.
"He has a very good eye for a pass and is technically very gifted. Szoboszlai has a great shot on him too, so, it'll be interesting to see who takes the free kicks now because Trent Alexander-Arnold will have something to say about that."
Hamann acknowledged that the Premier League is a different challenge compared to the Bundesliga and says Szoboszlai must adapt by changing one aspect of his game. "The Premier League is a different game, it's very physical compared to the Bundesliga.
"Szoboszlai retaliated a few times in the Bundesliga and got himself sent off, so he'll need to adapt to the physicality and pace of the game in England.
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"If he does adapt, he will be a brilliant player but he's come for a huge price tag and will be expected to perform on a weekly basis, which is a different kind of pressure to what he had at RB Leipzig. Szoboszlai had Christopher Nkunku to help him out if he wasn't at his best, so it'll be different this time."
But if Szoboszlai can do so, there is no reason he can't reach the level of De Bruyne - widely recognised as one of the best midfield players the Premier League has ever seen - according to Hamann.
He said: "Szoboszlai could potentially reach Kevin De Bruyne's level of a midfielder, but De Bruyne originally came to England and got a second chance at Man City, this will be Szoboszlai's first chance in the Premier League.
"The team De Bruyne came into was already a title-winning side, whereas Liverpool have lost a lot of their players in recent years. Comparisons to De Bruyne won't help Szoboszlai either, as that's a very high standard. I remember being seriously impressed by Szoboszlai when Liverpool played against RB Salzburg back in 2019 when he was 18 years old."
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This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, based on a piece first written by Stephen Killen for the Liverpool ECHO. You can read the original piece by clicking here. A Liverpool.com news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to matt.addison@reachplc.com.