Former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton has been impressed with the way Georginio Wijnaldum has settled at Anfield after being part of a relegated team at Newcastle United last season.
The Dutchman was angling for a move away from Tyneside after Newcastle dropped down to the Championship last season and Liverpool snapped him up in the summer.
Wijnaldum has been a regular feature of Liverpool’s midfield in the Premier League this season and has been a key component of their positive start to campaign.
Houghton admits that it is never easy for a player to be part of a relegation campaign and feels the Dutchman has shown great mental fortitude to settle down at Liverpool seamlessly.
The former Red said on LFC TV, when asked about Wijnaldum: “I have got huge admiration for the man.
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“It’s never easy when you have been at a club which got relegated; you start to doubt yourself as player.
“He got his opportunity to come to Liverpool and he has settled in straightaway. He has played in every game in the league and has been outstanding playing a bit deeper.”
Houghton also admires the way Wijnaldum keeps his football simple and allows more freedom to the attacking players, but he is sure the Dutchman will add goals to his game over the course of his stay at Liverpool.
“He plays the game very simply, doesn’t complicate things.
"He allows the advanced players to do the job in the final third, but he will start to add goals to his game no doubt [about it].
“I think you cannot ask for anything more from a new player at a new club.”
