Friday, 28th September, 2012
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has hailed midfielder Nuri Sahin, insisting that the Turkish star will prove to be a superb acquisition for the Reds.
Sahin joined Liverpool during the summer, arriving on a season-long loan from Real Madrid, with the aim of playing the first team football he was denied at the Bernabeu.
relatedNewsStory But after clocking up just 128 minutes of La Liga action last season, Sahin needed time to get up to speed at Anfield.
And he showed the progress he has made during Liverpool’s 2-1 win away at West Brom in the League Cup on Wednesday night, scoring both goals as the Reds set up a fourth round match against Swansea City.
For Rodgers, Sahin’s class is quickly apparent and the only thing the 23-year-old needs to do is enjoy regular games to improve his sharpness – but he is well on the way, believes the Liverpool boss.
"He’s a quality player. He’s got a wonderful left foot, you can see why he was the German Player of the Year, a big talent and got his move to Real Madrid", Rodgers told his club’s official website.
"When Nuri arrived here he wasn’t totally fit for the demands of the Premier League", added the former Reading manager.
"But certainly every day since then he’s a wonderful professional, he works very, very hard and as he has adapted to the way of working, his physical condition and tactical condition in the game has been very good.
"These games – the Europa League and last night – have been great for his fitness. You can see he is now really getting up to speed and he’s got two goals. He’s going to be a great asset for us."
It remains to be seen whether Sahin will feature for Liverpool in their Premier League clash away at Norwich City tomorrow, but the Turkey international is pushing hard for a starting role.
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