Speaking to Marca, Luis Suarez has given Federico Valverde a glowing review amid rumours of summer interest from Liverpool.
The Reds were reportedly ready to pay £86m for Valverde this summer after his starring performance in the Champions League final, and he’s already convinced one Liverpool legend that he’s the real deal.
Indeed, Suarez has been full of praise for Valverde, going as far as to compare him to his former Reds teammate Steven Gerrard.
The new Gerrard?
Suarez had nothing but good things to say about Valverde.
“Honestly, and there are the newspaper archives, already in 2017, when Fede debuted in the National Team, I already said that he reminded me of Steven Gerrard, who was my teammate at Liverpool. He has similar conditions. A box to box, with punch, change of pace, a lot of arrival… I don’t want to compare, but the characteristics are similar. I saw Fede coming and he has made tremendous progress, surrounded by big stars. He did very well,” Suarez said.
Missed out on a star
Liverpool have missed out on an absolute superstar with Valverde here.
The Reds, of course, spent massive money on Darwin Nunez this summer, but after a dodgy start to the season from their midfield, we can’t help but feel that Liverpool would’ve been better off splashing out on Nunez’s fellow countryman, Valverde.
Liverpool really need a Steven Gerrard-esque midfielder in the engine room right now, and as Suarez says, Valverde would have fit that bill perfectly.
Unfortunately for the Merseyside club, Real Madrid are acutely aware of how good Valverde is, and while Liverpool were ready to pay big bucks for the South American, Madrid were never likely to let him go.
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