Marko Grujic
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Age: 21
Nationality: Serbia
Position: Central Midfield
Marko Grujic was Jurgen Klopp’s first signing as Liverpool manager. The Reds signed the coveted central midfielder from Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade after beating off interest from a host of top European clubs. In fact, it took some personal intervention from Klopp and his assistant Zeljko Buvac to bring the Serbain to Anfield.
Although Liverpool signed Grujic in January 2016, he was loaned back to Red Star Belgrade till the end of the 2015-16 season. He played a big part in his club’s undefeated league winning campaign with 6 goals and 7 assists and was voted into the SuperLiga team of the Year.
He made his first appearance for Liverpool in a pre-season friendly against Fleetwood Town and scored the first of five goals for Liverpool in the game. Later on, he scored another goal in a friendly against Huddersfield Town before finishing the preseason with a brilliant headed goal against Barcelona.
Grujic made his official debut as a substitute for Adam Lallana in a league defeat to Burnley. He made his first start in a 3-0 win over Derby County in the League Cup. Injuries limited his playing time severely in his debut season with Liverpool, but he has been refreshing to watch whenever he has got a chance.
The Serbian is a box to box midfielder with ball playing abilities and an eye for goal. It is said that he asked the club not to loan him out this season as he wanted to progress under Klopp even if it meant lesser playing time. In a recent interview, Grujic admitted that he needs to improve the defensive side of his game and is working hard on it. As a part of the process, he is bulking up in the gym.
The youngster was a key member of the Serbia team that lifted the U-20 World Cup in 2015 by beating Brazil in the final. He was also one of the nominees for the Golden Boy award 2016.
