Following the many unexpected signings made by Portuguese clubs in the last days of the transfer window, the local media are still giving introductions to each player.
Newspaper O Jogo today features a story about Marko Grujic, who’s been loaned by Liverpool to FC Porto until the end of the season.
To talk about the midfielder, they found someone who knows a lot about the player and the club he’s joining. That’s Vítor Matos, who’s a development coach at the Reds and used to work with the Dragons.
Just like we expected, Matos only has good things to say about Grujic, claiming he should fit in well in Porto’s tactical system.
“Marko had a very regular and consistent year on loan at Hertha Berlin and was at this early stage with us in which he played two official games,” Vítor Matos told O Jogo.
“He played in both as a No.6 and, despite not being his most natural position, he performed very well. He’s a midfielder who feels comfortable in a more positional game, but at the same time has a wide range of space. He has a good tactical culture and that allows him to be versatile in the functions of means in different structures. He’s aggressive in tackling and has a natural ability to guide the ball through the interior.”
Liverpool signed Grujic in a €7m deal from Red Star back in 2017, but due to the many loans he’s been involved in, he only has 16 appearances for the Reds.
Vítor Matos tried to explain the reason why he hasn’t had many chances at Anfield by pointing out the ‘market opportunities’ and the Reds’ strong squad.
“He was one of Serbia’s greatest talents when he was signed. He never got room at Liverpool, due to the options for the positions, and at the same time the market opportunities that arose and allowed him more playing time.”
