What Hoever did to Mo Salah at Melwood training ground left players ‘blown away’

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Echo journalist James Pearce has penned a long piece on the rise of Ki-Jane Hoever and how Liverpool acquired the Dutchman from Ajax for just £90k.

You can check it out here, if you’re interested in just how we captured the starlet.

The part which most interested us though was about when Hoever was first asked to train with the first-team, and was immediately plunged into a practice match – directly up against one of the world’s best players in Mo Salah.

By this account, it seems like Hoever pocketed the sublime Egyptian!

Pearce writes:

“He found himself marking Mohamed Salah in a training game and senior professionals were blown away by how well he handled the Egyptian attacker. He’s been with the first-team squad since.

“As well as his obvious talent, Klopp has been impressed by the character and attitude of Hoever. There is no hint of arrogance. He’s humble and grounded.

“When Nathaniel Clyne declared that he wanted to leave on loan, Hoever’s rise was one of the reasons why Klopp granted him his wish.”

Hoever did himself proud in his debut against Wolves in the FA Cup, despite the team’s 2-1 defeat.

Simon Mignolet did his best to make life tricky for the youngster, but he was mostly composed and made one superb run out from the back that showcased his talent.

We’re unlikely to see Hoever again this term, but reckon he’ll be heavily involved in pre-season in the summer of this year – hopefully after we’ve won the Premier League title.

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