A lot of new signings this summer have hailed Jurgen Klopp as the man who convinced them to play their football at Anfield.
Not Marko Grujic, however.
While the Serbian midfielder was presumably impressed by what he heard from our boss, he’s revealed that it was actually Chelsea fan favourite Nemanja Matic who talked him into signing for us.
“Nemanja is a good friend,” Grujic revealed. “He started at the same club as me and is one of the key players for the national team.
“When I first heard Liverpool wanted me, I called Nemanja, Lazar (Markovic) and Aleksandar Kolarov and they all told me ‘you need to sign for them’.
“Three different players all saying the same things – two who play for big rivals – it shows that they know what Liverpool means in European football.”
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He also spoke of the love Liverpool enjoyed back in his native country:
“Liverpool are very popular over the world, and it’s like that in Serbia,” he said.
“When I went to watch the final the Liverpool fans all crowded around me. There was like 2,000 of them!
“In Serbia, after Red Star and Partizan, people love Liverpool so much.”
Grujic has enjoyed a dream pre-season so far – scoring a goal in our 5-0 rout of Fleetwood Town and another in our 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.
The 20-year-old is currently with the squad on our tour of the United States. He could play a part in the Chelsea game later today.