Genk technical director Dimitri de Condé has insisted youngster Bilal El Khannouss is good enough to play for Liverpool and doesn’t need an intermediate step if he leaves the Belgian club.
De Condé has been speaking on the MIDMID podcast, relayed by Voetbal Primeur, regarding the youngster as he continues to impress for the Jupiler Pro League side.
The 19-year-old Moroccan, who plays as an attacking midfielder, has been earning rave reviews in Belgian this season thanks to a tally of seven assists and three goals in 37 games in all competitions.
Those may not be extremely flashy numbers by any means but have reportedly earned him attention around Europe, and particularly in the Premier League.
Liverpool are one of the clubs believed to be keeping an eye on him and two reports in January had them making moves already, first initiating contact behind the scenes before then inviting his agent to hold discussions about a possible move.
It seems they are keen on the youngster, but the idea of a move has been questioned, with many believing that El Khannouss should first make an intermediate step in his career to help continue his development.
De Condé doesn’t agree with that at all, though, and instead believes his player is good enough to be playing for Liverpool right now.
“What is good for Bilal El Khannouss? A good future perspective? I think that’s what it’s all about,” he said.
“For us as a club, this is always combined with money. But for me the absolute question is: Is it good for Bilal? Because everyone always says that he has to take an intermediate step. Personally, I’m not 100% sure. I think that the faster it goes for Bilal, the easier it becomes.
“Yes, but Bilal will never, not even in an intermediate step, go to a team at that level and play 80 or 100 percent of the minutes at the age of nineteen. You shouldn’t expect that, but why can’t he participate in a team like Liverpool, to name a club?
“I know the players there too. He really has that level, especially in his ball handling and he also has the running ability. If you don’t have that, you may have a problem. But Bilal also has enormous running ability. I think he is a unique player.”
