A midfielder who is ‘destined to be a superstar’ was told by Liverpool that they are the ideal club for him.
Considering Dominik Szoboszlai’s early-season performances for Liverpool, Jesse Marsch thinks he was always destined for greatness.
Dominik Szoboszlai, a £60 million summer acquisition for Liverpool, has been dubbed “the modern-day David Beckham” by Jesse Marsch because of how well he has adjusted to the Premier League.
Marsch, the Hungarian’s former coach, played a significant role in his early development. After leading Red Bull’s New York franchise, he took the significant professional step of moving to Europe, where he took the helm of Salzburg. As a result, he inherited Szoboszlai, who was then 18 years old.
In 2021, the American would go to Leipzig alongside the player, with Szoboszlai making the trip in January and Marsch in the summer. He shared stories from his time in the locker room with the self-assured, youthful midfielder in a recent interview with the Times, and eventually explained how he believed Liverpool’s new acquisition was the right one.
In 2020, when Covid-19 created a pause, he recalled: “We had a team meeting, and I stood Szobo in front of everyone and said, “This is now your moment. You are equipped to head this group.
“He carried it out exactly. He opened the scoring in the Austrian Cup final the day after, which we won 5-0. The remainder of the league was thereafter easily defeated by us. We triumphed 7–2 at Rapid Vienna. In their 120-year existence, they had never conceded seven goals at home, but once again, Szobo scored one goal and provided two or three assists.
“At this point, he really took off, and everyone could see how good he was going to be. We were aware of his potential for stardom.
He has long recognized that this is where he should go. This is how things should proceed. He is regarded as “the next Puskas,” the hope and pride of his country.
Although Marsch compares Szoboszlai to former England great Beckham in terms of playing style and skill, the comparison is only made because of his homeland’s desire for a national hero.
“When the ball is on his right foot, he can put it anywhere he wants,” he said. “The pace and accuracy with which he can move the ball is amazing. He is more energetic and mobile, which is why I say’modern day’.”
Finally addressing his multi-million transfer to Merseyside, Marsch claimed there were no surprise in seeing the player he helped hone finds himself in the position he is in today, going as far to suggest the release clause Jorg Schmadtke and Jurgen Klopp activated last month will prove to be a “steal.”
“When I heard Dominik killed it on Liverpool’s lactose test run in pre-season, I thought, ‘There you go and there he goes’.
“Szobo loves being part of a team. He loves being with team-mates. He loves to laugh. He loves to train. He will stick around training every day to participate in any group activity. He loves competing and he loves football, but he also loves the feeling of achieving success with others.
At £60 million, Liverpool got a great deal. Szobo is distinctive because he possesses both elegance and technical skill in addition to his physical attributes. Few players of his physical height can run as well as he can with his brains.
He was, in my opinion, the best player in both of Liverpool’s matches (against Chelsea and Bournemouth). For him, it is the ideal club. Jurgen and Liverpool made a really wise choice by acquiring him.
