Xherdan Shaqiri might have played his first game for Liverpool in a pre-season friendly but he made it memorable with an incredible goal in the 82nd minute.
The Reds were already leading 3-1 against Manchester United in an International Champions Cup match when Shaqiri smacked home the fourth goal, courtesy of a bicycle kick.
The 26-year-old had also helped set up Daniel Sturridge for our second goal as we made light work of Man United.
Jurgen Klopp certainly was impressed by the performance of Shaqiri and was quoted by the Liverpool Echo as saying:
“That’s not normal after four days in the club – adapting that well to the style of play.
“We wanted to help him a little bit with the position so that it’s not too complicated, gave him a lot of freedom, offensively playing natural, plus offering runs in behind, which is what he did, especially around the Sturridge goal.”
Klopp was also happy with the performance of the side, especially after the 3-1 loss at the hands of Borussia Dortmund a few days ago.
The German also added that Shaqiri wanted to train with us right after signing a deal with the Reds but Klopp had to insist on Shaqiri needing a break.
Shaqiri only started training with the side on Wednesday and his performance has proved that he can adapt to our playing style really well.
The Swiss star was played as an advanced midfielder role and that could be his position when the season starts. Of course, this is just pre-season and we should not expect every game to end up as an easy win like it was against United.
Read more: “We will see” – Liverpool starlet responds to questions regarding future at Anfield
However, the pieces seem to be falling into place and if Shaqiri can put in such performances regularly, he might turn out to be the bargain of the season.
