Pep Lijnders thinks ‘whole world’ can see he was right about Diogo Jota

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Liverpool attacker Diogo Jota has enjoyed an outstanding campaign following his £41million move from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Jota was signed as support for Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, but few could have expected him to chip in as heavily.

The Portuguese forward has provided a spark in the Liverpool attack, smashing 10 goals in just 23 games for the Reds across all competitions.

At 24, Jota still has potential to get even better, and his versatility to play anywhere across the front line makes him ideal for Jurgen Klopp.

Additionally, Jota is relentless when it comes to pressing, meaning he has slotted into Liverpool’s high-energy style seamlessly.

Now, assistant manager Pep Lijnders has told Liverpool’s official website that he has said before that Jota is just as good technically as Salah, Firmino and Mane – and now the whole world can see that he is right.

Lijnders praised Jota for being lethal but also selfless, believing he understands that it’s about the team rather than just his own success.

The Dutchman added that Jota has a ‘pure instinct’ inside the box, which is ‘really difficult’ to coach, with Jota – who worked with Lijnders at Porto – earning huge praise from Klopp’s right-hand man.

“Jota is on the same technical level as our front three – I said this before and the whole world can see it. Quick and being quick in mind is a lethal combination for a striker, he has ‘direction’ in his game,” said Lijnders. “Diogo understands that it’s not about him, it’s about him, Sadio, Bobby, Mo, it’s about togetherness. It’s about Divock, Shaq, Ox, how they can all relate and help each other. Adapting to our pressing style isn’t easy but with him it goes very naturally.”

“It says a lot how quick he adapted to the team and how quick the team adapted to him. It’s just pure quality as a team player and as a person. He has this positioning in the box where he is often on the right spot in the right time. This intuition in the box, this pure instinct, that is something that is so difficult to coach. I still find it really difficult to coach that attribute,” he added.