John Barnes claims 23-year-old Liverpool player would not join Manchester City

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If Liverpool are going to beat Manchester City tomorrow then Dominik Szoboszlai is going to be key.

Having just led Hungary to Euro 2024, Szoboszlai should be riding a wave heading into Saturday’s game. That success followed on from an excellent start to his Liverpool career, where he’s impressed just about everyone.

The latest to add his name to that long list is Reds legend John Barnes. Speaking about the 23-year-old on TalkSPORT yesterday, Barnes claimed that Szoboszlai and Liverpool are a match made in heaven.

Although potentially good enough to play for a Man City or an Arsenal, the pundit suggested that it’s at Anfield where the Hungarian is destined to shine.

“Szoboszlai has been incredible,” Barnes raved. “I’d kind of heard of him before but never seen him, and that’s how good the scouting is. Because Liverpool sign players who will suit the way they play. I don’t think he’d suit Man City or Arsenal and he probably wouldn’t go there but when he came, from the first time I saw him he was just incredible.

“He reminded me of Steven Gerrard to a certain extent because you don’t necessarily get box-to-box midfield players who can defend, who can attack, that’s what he does. I’ve been so impressed with him. He’s level-headed, he’s 22, he’s been fantastic. He’s been our best player.”

Barnes makes Szoboszlai claim

In all honesty, we’re not completely sure we agree with Barnes here. Although Szoboszlai does slot more comfortably into Liverpool’s all-action style than City’s more patient, free-flowing game, you get the impression that he could do both.

It’s also worth pointing out that although he does resemble Gerrard’ game to a degree, so too does Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne is perhaps the closes thing the Premier League has seen to Liverpool’s former No.8 since he left these shores for LA Galaxy in 2015.

The Belgian is in fact proof that there is room for a box-to-box type midfielder within Pep Guardiola’s system.

That isn’t to say that Szoboszlai is anywhere close to De Bruyne’s level just yet. Although he’s started well, the former RB Leipzig man still has a long way to go in that regard.

However, the early signs are that Szoboszlai can one day be to Klopp what De Bruyne has been to Guardiola. Harvey Elliott recently called him ‘world-class’ and the potential he has is certainly worthy of that label.

Tomorrow’s clash at the Etihad is the perfect stage for Liverpool’s No.8 to underline that point. If he can play as he has in the early part of the season, then he could make Guardiola wonder just how he let the Reds get their hands on Szoboszlai.

The way things have gone for Dom at Anfield so far, you’d back him to do just that.