Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish has lauded the signing of Robbie Keane and believes his versatility will be an asset to the Reds' attack ahead of the new season.
Keane signed from Tottenham Hotspur for an initial £18 million, a fee criticised by many, though his quality has been hailed as well and it is expected he will be what Liverpool need to push on and mount a genuine Premier League challenge.
Liverpool striking legend compared Keane to Dalglish, who himself is confident Keane has what it takes to be a success at Anfield: “Robbie is one of those players who can come in straight away and hit the ground running.
“He has played all his career in the Premier League with a one-year spell in Italy, so he doesn't need to take any time to settle in.
“He can make an impact from the first whistle. There is no getting used to the speed of the game or anything like that.
“All he has to do is get to know the boys and tune in to their games, where they like to make runs, where they are going to want him to run to and so on.
“He will give the manager plenty of options in the striking positions. He can play straight through the middle as a partner for shoulder to shoulder.
“Or you can withdraw him slightly from Fernando and play him in the hole between the strikers and midfield.
“He will be effective in either role. You only have to look at how he fitted and moulded his game around Dimitar Berbatov at Tottenham to see the potential that he and Torres have as a pairing.
“Berbatov scored a lot of goals from direct final passes from Keane, or from his movement and ability to create space.
“And when Keane gets into position himself in front of goal, he can finish as well as anyone.
“Torres is maybe just a step above Berbatov because he is a lot younger so you have to be licking your lips at the prospect of them being unleashed on the Premier League.”
Keane signed from Tottenham Hotspur for an initial £18 million, a fee criticised by many, though his quality has been hailed as well and it is expected he will be what Liverpool need to push on and mount a genuine Premier League challenge.
Liverpool striking legend compared Keane to Dalglish, who himself is confident Keane has what it takes to be a success at Anfield: “Robbie is one of those players who can come in straight away and hit the ground running.
“He has played all his career in the Premier League with a one-year spell in Italy, so he doesn't need to take any time to settle in.
“He can make an impact from the first whistle. There is no getting used to the speed of the game or anything like that.
“All he has to do is get to know the boys and tune in to their games, where they like to make runs, where they are going to want him to run to and so on.
“He will give the manager plenty of options in the striking positions. He can play straight through the middle as a partner for shoulder to shoulder.
“Or you can withdraw him slightly from Fernando and play him in the hole between the strikers and midfield.
“He will be effective in either role. You only have to look at how he fitted and moulded his game around Dimitar Berbatov at Tottenham to see the potential that he and Torres have as a pairing.
“Berbatov scored a lot of goals from direct final passes from Keane, or from his movement and ability to create space.
“And when Keane gets into position himself in front of goal, he can finish as well as anyone.
“Torres is maybe just a step above Berbatov because he is a lot younger so you have to be licking your lips at the prospect of them being unleashed on the Premier League.”
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