Emre Can thinks Steven Gerrard was such an important player for Liverpool that not even the world’s greatest player Lionel Messi could’ve replaced him at Anfield.
Messi’s won four Ballon d’Ors and is the favourite to win another this term, and by the time he’s finished his career, he’ll likely be recognised as the best footballer of all time.
So Can’s comments go a little in explaining just how much our former captain did for the club, and what kind of impact he made on Can in their year together at the club.
“I don’t think anyone can replace Gerrard, be it Messi or whoever,” Can told the Daily Mail. “Of course I would like to follow in his path but he really was the best player for Liverpool, not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well.”
The pair share the same physical traits in the centre of the park, but Gerrard was far more composed on the ball for his age than Can is yet. Still, the recently capped international German has enough time to develop into a seriously good footballer, and it’d be unfair to judge any Liverpool signing by Gerrard’s standards.
Can also took time to salute his countryman, the new manager of Liverpool Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp’s used Can heavily so far in central midfield, the 21-year-old’s natural position. Under Brendan Rodgers, Can regularly played in a makeshift back three instead.
“Jurgen Klopp does have a winning mentality, he is hungry for titles. And the way we work is that if we believe it, we have the ability to win a match,” he added.
“We want to play in the Champions League. With hard work, hopefully we will get back into the top four. We have a good chance.”
Liverpool currently sit worryingly low in 10th spot, but only seven points behind 4th placed Manchester United – by no means an unreachable target – especially considering we’ve played nearly all our tough away games already.