Dominik Szoboszlai’s agent has “huge appreciation” for No. 8 gesture

Dominik Szoboszlai‘s agent has praised the manner in which the club handled the deal to bring the Hungarian to the club and discussed the significance of being handed the No. 8 shirt.

Liverpool completed their second signing of the summer by bringing Szoboszlai to Anfield from RB Leipzig for £60 million.

The Reds acted quickly to trigger a release clause in the midfielder’s contract before it expired on June 30, and it follows the signing of World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton earlier in the window.

Szoboszlai’s agent Matyas Esterhazy, along with the player’s father Zsolt, was heavily involved in the process which saw his client make the switch to Merseyside and has emphasised the importance of the Hungary captain being handed Steven Gerrard‘s old shirt number.

“I think there are many normal parents who wish their son to achieve similar success, and when Dominik is photographed wearing a Liverpool shirt, he doesn’t see the salary, but the road from Szekesfehervar to this point,” Esterhazy told Hungarian publication Nemzeti Sport.

“[The No.8 shirt is] rather a huge appreciation. Dominik’s father, Zsolt Szoboszlai, and I are still at Liverpool’s training centre and it is incredible to feel the great respect with which Dominik has been received and treated.”

Szoboszlai will take the shirt number vacated by Naby Keita following his summer departure at the end of his contract.

The Guinean midfielder, also signed from RB Leipzig, made 129 appearances across a five-year Anfield spell significantly hampered by various injuries and has since returned to the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen on a free transfer.

The No. 8 jersey was previously worn by club icon Gerrard, who enjoyed a glittering 17-year Liverpool career during which he was handed the captain’s armband at the age of just 23.

It leaves the Reds’ latest recruit with big shoes to fill if he is to become a success on Merseyside, but fans are excited to see the impact he can have after scoring 10 times and providing 13 assists for RB Leipzig last season.