Our keeper reckons his international teammate is the real deal…
Many fans were disappointed by the fact Divock Origi was sent on loan to Lille after we paid for him back in the summer, but his performances for the struggling French outfit have shown that he probably wasn’t ready for the Liverpool switch.
He’s notched just eight goals in all competitions from 31 appearances, and was recently voted as one of the most overrated players in Ligue 1 (via Guardian journalist Marcus Christenson on Twitter).
The 19-year-old also missed the sitter seen below at the weekend, but our no.1 Simon Mignolet, who plays with Origi for Belgium, has taken time to praise his international teammate.
“He is looking forward to next season and I think he will be ready for the team when he comes in,” Mignolet told Liverpool’s TV station, reported here in the Daily Mail.
“He is back to his old self (having struggled for goals earlier this season). Lille were struggling at one point in the season and he is only a young player, but from what I have seen of him in training he is a very good player and will do really well for us.
“He is very quick, he’s got skill and can hold the ball up too – what more do you want from a striker? He has got a good attitude to work hard in training and he is willing to learn, so I can only speak in good terms about him.”
Origi will join up with the Liverpool first-team squad in the summer on the expiration of his loan deal with the French, and will be part of our pre-season tours.
Still a teenager, Origi will link up with a number of monstrously talented Liverpool youngsters – such as Jordon Ibe, Raheem Sterling, Lazar Markovic and Emre Can.
If we can get them all to maximise their talents, the aforementioned five could become the backbone of our side for the next decade – if all goes to plan.
Divock Origi’s miss earlier against Evian, via @philousports: pic.twitter.com/VXnyjTUmbO
— Get French Football (@GFN_France) April 12, 2015