Dirk Kuyt has given Arne Slot a glowing character reference ahead of the 45-year-old’s first season in charge at Liverpool.
The ex-Feyenoord boss has taken on the unenviable task of trying to follow in Jurgen Klopp’s footsteps at Anfield, but his introductory press conference last Friday and his first few days at the AXA Training Centre have given the impression of a confident and affable persona.
Speaking to Ladbrokes 1-2-Free (via The Mirror), the former Reds striker highlighted the hugely knowledgeable and dedicated nature of the new LFC head coach, who he’s backed to make a massive impact in England.
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Kuyt said: “Arne Slot is a family man, but he’s also a guy who is so into football – he’s 24/7 football. If you watch his press conferences, you’ll see he speaks very well and clearly expresses himself.
“He can be funny sometimes, but he’s also very straightforward. He knows everything about football; not only Dutch football, but you could ask him anything about football and I think he could give you an answer. Premier League fans are going to like him.”
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Liverpool fans got a first glimpse of Slot in front of the media last week, and the manner in which he fielded questions from the press was hugely encouraging. As Kuyt says, the 45-year-old spoke very well and exuded an air of confidence while also coming across as easygoing away from the pitch.
The former Reds striker’s assertion that his compatriot is also hugely knowledgeable about the football landscape also bodes well, particularly when it comes to getting the best out of his squad and identifying shrewd transfer targets who could come in and thrive at Anfield.
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The true assessment of the new head coach’s reign won’t begin until he’s had a few competitive matches in charge, and it won’t be much longer until he’s prowling the touchline on matchday as LFC boss.
For the time being, though, anything we’ve seen of and heard about Slot has been hugely positive, and let’s hope he can go on to justify Kuyt’s exciting prediction of what Liverpool fans can expect from Klopp’s successor.
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