Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis ‘needs to improve’ if the reported Liverpool target is to thrive in the Premier League under Jurgen Klopp, former Primeira Liga ace Pedro Henriques tells Bancada.
Of all the players currently in Benfica’s squad, 23-year-old Florentino is perhaps the one who has benefitted the most from the appointment of former PSV Eindhoven and Bayer Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt at the Estadio da Luz.
The Lisbon-born academy graduate is playing the best football of his career; returning to his parent club a man reborn after stints at Monaco and Getafe. In fact, he’s been so impressive that, according to Record, Florentino is now a candidate to add some energy and exuberance to a Liverpool engine room showing signs of rust.
Henriques, however, believes Florentino has a long way to go before he’s ready for Liverpool. Even if the improvements in his game are clear to see.
Is Benfica’s Florentino Luis really ready for Liverpool?
“He needs to be stronger in the air and more aggressive in duels,” says Henriques, the ex-Benfica left-back.
“Florentino Luis was always a player of great quality, but with little intensity in his game. Being a good player is not enough. You need get to a level where you either have something else or you’re eaten alive. And he was being ‘eaten’ very easily.
“(Florentino) has worked hard and there is an improvement. He has corrected the deficiencies he had and improved. But he is not yet ready. He needs more.
“If he wants to play in England in his position, he has to be strong in the air, strong in duels. He is getting better and needs to improve even more.”
Florentino, who has a £100 million release clause in his contract, is a midfielder comparable, stylistically-speaking, to Manchester United’s Brazilian battering ram Casemiro. He nearly joined Leeds United a couple of windows ago too (Record).
Liverpool are now seventh in the Premier League; following up the 1-0 triumph over Manchester City with a narrow victory against West Ham. Alisson Becker’s penalty save, and Darwin Nunez’s header, made the difference on Wednesday night at Anfield.
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