The Reds midfielder always knew that the Portuguese was talented, but he has been blown away by a player readying himself for a Wolves reunion
In-form Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has been “even better than we thought”, admits Georginio Wijnaldum, with the Portugal international making an immediate impact at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp knew that he was getting another hard-working frontman when putting a £45 million ($60m) deal in place with Wolves.
The reigning Premier League champions had also seen Jota display a keen eye for goal during his time at Molineux, with life in England posing few problems to an ambitious performer.
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Liverpool had been mulling over a deal for some time before finally making their move, with their show of faith now being rewarded with nine goals through 14 appearances.
Jota will be looking to add to that tally when taking in a reunion with Wolves on Sunday, and Wijnaldum believes the talented 23-year-old can hit even greater heights after proving his worth.
“I think he will be really happy to play against his old team,” Liverpool’s Dutch midfielder told the club’s official website.
“I’m always happy when I play against Newcastle because that’s my only other team [in the Premier League].
“For him I think it’s different because he played more seasons for Wolves than I played for Newcastle. For him I think it’s much bigger than what I have with Newcastle. It’s going to be a really, really big game for him and also a game he can enjoy.
“I’m really impressed because I already knew how good he was, but now I can see that he’s even better than what we thought of him.
“Now we train with him, we play games with him, so we can really see what kind of player he is, what kind of quality player he is. I think he’s showed it with the start he’s had at the club.”
While Wijnaldum is enjoying working alongside Jota, he is hoping to see a fellow countryman rejoin the Liverpool fold before too long.
Virgil van Dijk is in the process of working his way back from knee ligament surgery, with a long road to recovery stretching out in front of him after suffering an unfortunate injury in a Merseyside derby date with Everton.
“In the beginning it was quite difficult because you don’t know if you can call or it’s better to leave him alone,” Wijnaldum said of his Netherlands international team-mate.
“I have to say that he makes it easier for me to call him because he was calling me most of the time and he was texting me most of the time. Normally what I did in the beginning was just a quick text message on WhatsApp that I was thinking of him and I prayed for him and those kind of things.
“It was also because I didn’t know how he was feeling and everything, but now I see that he’s quite good. He deals good with the situation, he’s positive about the situation and everything.
“We call quite often now because I know that I can. But in the beginning for me it was a bit like, ‘Can I call him or not?’ because I can understand that in a situation he was in you also want a little bit of rest and moment for yourself.
“In the beginning it was a little bit searching for the right way to approach him. But now it goes really well.”
