His honesty is such that he commands the complete trust of his manager. So when Dirk Kuyt senses a subtle change in mood around Anfield, it’s worth taking note.
The Liverpool striker has been at the heart of an encouraging start to the campaign for Rafael Benitez’s side that was checked only by an unlikely defeat at Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
That setback, though, has not altered Kuyt’s opinion that the Anfield outfit are on the verge of a renaissance of which he wants to remain very much part.
The 28-year-old has entered the final two years of his contract, with Benitez yesterday revealing talks will soon begin concerning a new deal.
And Kuyt has no intention of missing out on what he believes could be a trophy-laden future for Liverpool.
“I am enjoying every day here,” he says. “I knew it was a big club before I came here but now I know it is one of the biggest clubs in Europe and the world.
“My intention is to stay here for as long as possible. Hopefully the contract will come in the next couple of months. In football, you know the decision will be made before you enter the last year of your contract – but I definitely want to stay.
“I have been here now for three years and it is a great joy to play with so many great players.
“I am now in my third year, Torres is in his second and you have players like Gerrard, Carragher, Reina and Alonso that have been playing together for a while now.
“Fernando did very well last season but when you are at a club for a second season you feel even more settled in.
“In the time I have been here the team has been getting stronger and I still have the feeling we are getting stronger by the day. Hopefully, I will win trophies at Liverpool.”
Kuyt will again be on the right wing for this evening’s Champions League group game against Atletico Madrid, with Liverpool hoping to show they can bounce back from letting slip the Dutchman’s early opener at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
And Kuyt believes Benitez’s side have the mental resolve to avoid any adverse reaction to their first defeat since April.
“Everyone was disappointed with the result, especially as we were playing really well,” he says. “We had a lot of chances to kill the game and we didn’t do that. We were doing really well at the start of the season.
“We’ve still got the confidence and belief and even though we lost on Saturday we showed that we have the quality.
“I don’t think we have got anything to worry about. It becomes a worry if you are not playing well and you are losing.
“You have to make sure in the future that we take our chances and win those kind of games. We still have the feeling that it will be really difficult for teams to beat us. People are saying that how we do in the next game will be important now.
“But for us I don’t think anything has changed much.”
Kuyt, described by Benitez as “a player you can trust 100%,” has become a favourite with supporters who appreciate his relentless hard work and happy knack for chipping in with important goals.
The forward can claim a remarkable feat of having scored in every round of the Champions League and, having scored 10 goals in his last 17 games in the competition, will draw level with Kenny Dalglish in the club’s overall European goalscorers with another tonight.
While prospering abroad, Kuyt found goals more difficult to come by last season in the Premier League as his form suffered following the death of his father.
His last-gasp winner at Manchester City was his first league strike in 10 months but, as Liverpool’s top scorer this season with six goals, Kuyt is repaying the unshakeable faith shown in him by Benitez.
“As everyone knows, I had a really hard period at the beginning of last season with the loss of my dad and it is more difficult when you are in a different country,” he says.
“But lots of people helped me – my family, my friends and my team-mates and the people here at Liverpool.
“It’s important for a player to have the confidence of a manager. It’s always good when a manager says these things in public.
“I think he believes in my qualities and strengths and what I can do for the team – they know I am always going to be there for the full 90 minutes.
“When I am playing on the right I obviously know there are less chances to score but it doesn’t matter what position I play in.
“I am enjoying it on the right and I was enjoying it when I played up front against Portsmouth, Wigan and Man United. I will go wherever the manager needs me. I just want to play as often as possible.”
Kuyt adds: “I am not bothered about any criticism because that’s part of the game. The most important thing is when your manager and team-mates believe in you.
“They were always there through the difficult times and that’s what makes you stronger when you come back.
“I am feeling really well at the moment. I am playing in a different position on the right but I am enjoying it.
“I am now enjoying my football and am being involved in important moments and helping set up important goals.
“I have also scored some important goals myself and I want to keep on doing that. But for me the most important thing is to be giving my best for the team.”
The Liverpool striker has been at the heart of an encouraging start to the campaign for Rafael Benitez’s side that was checked only by an unlikely defeat at Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
That setback, though, has not altered Kuyt’s opinion that the Anfield outfit are on the verge of a renaissance of which he wants to remain very much part.
The 28-year-old has entered the final two years of his contract, with Benitez yesterday revealing talks will soon begin concerning a new deal.
And Kuyt has no intention of missing out on what he believes could be a trophy-laden future for Liverpool.
“I am enjoying every day here,” he says. “I knew it was a big club before I came here but now I know it is one of the biggest clubs in Europe and the world.
“My intention is to stay here for as long as possible. Hopefully the contract will come in the next couple of months. In football, you know the decision will be made before you enter the last year of your contract – but I definitely want to stay.
“I have been here now for three years and it is a great joy to play with so many great players.
“I am now in my third year, Torres is in his second and you have players like Gerrard, Carragher, Reina and Alonso that have been playing together for a while now.
“Fernando did very well last season but when you are at a club for a second season you feel even more settled in.
“In the time I have been here the team has been getting stronger and I still have the feeling we are getting stronger by the day. Hopefully, I will win trophies at Liverpool.”
Kuyt will again be on the right wing for this evening’s Champions League group game against Atletico Madrid, with Liverpool hoping to show they can bounce back from letting slip the Dutchman’s early opener at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
And Kuyt believes Benitez’s side have the mental resolve to avoid any adverse reaction to their first defeat since April.
“Everyone was disappointed with the result, especially as we were playing really well,” he says. “We had a lot of chances to kill the game and we didn’t do that. We were doing really well at the start of the season.
“We’ve still got the confidence and belief and even though we lost on Saturday we showed that we have the quality.
“I don’t think we have got anything to worry about. It becomes a worry if you are not playing well and you are losing.
“You have to make sure in the future that we take our chances and win those kind of games. We still have the feeling that it will be really difficult for teams to beat us. People are saying that how we do in the next game will be important now.
“But for us I don’t think anything has changed much.”
Kuyt, described by Benitez as “a player you can trust 100%,” has become a favourite with supporters who appreciate his relentless hard work and happy knack for chipping in with important goals.
The forward can claim a remarkable feat of having scored in every round of the Champions League and, having scored 10 goals in his last 17 games in the competition, will draw level with Kenny Dalglish in the club’s overall European goalscorers with another tonight.
While prospering abroad, Kuyt found goals more difficult to come by last season in the Premier League as his form suffered following the death of his father.
His last-gasp winner at Manchester City was his first league strike in 10 months but, as Liverpool’s top scorer this season with six goals, Kuyt is repaying the unshakeable faith shown in him by Benitez.
“As everyone knows, I had a really hard period at the beginning of last season with the loss of my dad and it is more difficult when you are in a different country,” he says.
“But lots of people helped me – my family, my friends and my team-mates and the people here at Liverpool.
“It’s important for a player to have the confidence of a manager. It’s always good when a manager says these things in public.
“I think he believes in my qualities and strengths and what I can do for the team – they know I am always going to be there for the full 90 minutes.
“When I am playing on the right I obviously know there are less chances to score but it doesn’t matter what position I play in.
“I am enjoying it on the right and I was enjoying it when I played up front against Portsmouth, Wigan and Man United. I will go wherever the manager needs me. I just want to play as often as possible.”
Kuyt adds: “I am not bothered about any criticism because that’s part of the game. The most important thing is when your manager and team-mates believe in you.
“They were always there through the difficult times and that’s what makes you stronger when you come back.
“I am feeling really well at the moment. I am playing in a different position on the right but I am enjoying it.
“I am now enjoying my football and am being involved in important moments and helping set up important goals.
“I have also scored some important goals myself and I want to keep on doing that. But for me the most important thing is to be giving my best for the team.”
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