Robert Lewandowski believes Kacper Kozlowski is a ‘rare’ talent but has warned his Poland teammate about the pitfalls of a move to Premier League giants Liverpool, while speaking to Sport.
When a fresh-faced Lewandowski put pen to paper with Borussia Dortmund over a decade ago, he arrived in North-Rhine Westphalia as a 21-year-old with 82 first-team appearances in the Polish top flight under his belt.
Kozlowski, however, is just 17.
The mercurial midfielder only has one full season of regular football under his belt too.
While the so-called ‘next Kevin de Bruyne’ is hardly short of talent or potential, Lewandowski is keen for his compatriot to stay in the relatively small pond that is the Ekstraklasa before making his way to much choppier waters.
Should Kacper Kozlowski take Lewandowski’s advice?
“Looking at how he moves, how he looks and behaves, he is definitely older than his passport indicates,” said Lewandowski, the Bayern Munich superstar and Poland captain.
“(He’s) got talent. If he does everything wisely, a bright future awaits him.
“But if you don’t have double-digit goals and assists in the league, it will be difficult for you to break through abroad. Abroad, you cannot play phenomenally once in five matches. You have to show high quality from the very beginning.
“Because if you don’t show that, there are thousands of others ready to take your place. There is not much time to adapt.”
According to reports, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are battling AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen for Kozlowski’s signature.
But, with just three goals and two assists to his name this season, Kozlowski is in agreement with ‘Lewa’ – he is far from the finished article just yet.
“The level that Kacper is already showing is rare. Such experience, sophistication and awareness is rarely found at this age,” Lewandowski added.
“The next two or three years may be crucial for him. I told him not to think about leaving, but to think about how to make ten goals or ten assists in the league.”
Speaking earlier this week, Kozlowski played down reports linking him with a January move to Anfield, although he did admit that he ‘dreams’ of playing for a bona fide European giant one day.
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