Sander Westerveld, like Wijnaldum and Kuyt, hailed from and played for the Netherlands.
Sander Westerveld has piled the praise upon Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, comparing him to Reds legend Dirk Kuyt.
The 28-year-old arrived at Anfield in 2016 following a one-year stint at Newcastle United and has made 128 appearances for the Merseyside club, scoring 10 goals and registering 16 assists, according to Transfermarkt.
Wijnaldum has enjoyed a strong season for Liverpool this term and is well loved by the fanbase as well as being highly regarded by his teammates, having been voted as fourth-choice captain earlier in the season (Liverpool Echo).
Westerveld, meanwhile, played for the Anfield side between July 1999 and January 2001, making 103 appearances (Transfermarkt), and like Wijnaldum, he hails from and has played for the Netherlands.
Speaking about Wijnaldum in conversation with the Liverpool website, the retired goalkeeper said: “Gini is one of those guys like a Dirk Kuyt who you see in the commercials with the batteries and the rabbits that just go on and on!
“He is just an amazing player and he has showed that during the last couple of years at Liverpool just how important he is, and you can see when he is not playing how important he is. Talking about what you need in midfield, he is ticking all of the boxes and at the moment he is amazing.”
This term, the Dutch midfielder – who cost £25million in 2016 – has made 36 appearances in all competitions, of which 28 in the Premier League and 8 in the Champions League (Transfermarkt).
Up next for Jurgen Klopp’s side is Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, pitting the side currently first in the table against third.
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