Jamie Redknapp has said on the Pitch to Post podcast that Ozan Kabak is not the answer to Liverpool’s problems at the back in the long term.
The former Liverpool midfielder, who now works as a pundit for Sky Sports, has not been too impressed by what he has seen of Kabak so far.
However, Redknapp has pointed out that had the 20-year-old central defender been playing alongside Virgil van Dijk in Liverpool’s defence at the moment, then he would have looked a better player.
The Englishman has also outlined the qualities that the Turkey international central defender, signed on loan from Schalke in the January transfer window, has.
Redknapp said about Kabak on the Pitch to Post podcast: “If you put him alongside Virgil van Dijk for instance, he would probably look a decent player. He is not the answer for Liverpool going forward, but you never know.
“He has got a point to prove, he has got the opportunity of a lifetime here. He just has got to make sure that he produces good performances.
“He has got size, he has got potential, he has got pace, but everyone around him is struggling, so that makes it more difficult for him.”
Give Ozan Kabak a chance
It is not easy for any footballer to join a new club in the middle of the season and make an immediate impact.
Kabak moved from a club in the Bundesliga who are likely to go down to the second tier of German football.
It will take the youngster some time to get used to the rhythm of the Premier League and to play the way Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wants.
Klopp rates Kabak highly, saying on the club’s official website earlier this month that the youngster is “really a big, big talent”.
According to WhoScored, the youngster has made two appearances in the Premier League and one in the Champions League for Liverpool.
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