“One of my favourites over the past few years” – Gary Neville lavishes praise on ‘understated’ Liverpool star

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has lavished praise on Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino.

The Brazilian has been one of the Reds' key players in the Jurgen Klopp era, having made an immense contribution towards their way back to the zenith of English football.

The 30-year-old is one of the very few players of the Brendan Rodgers era to remain at the Merseyside club.

Despite being an indispensable member of the squad, the former Hoffenheim man remains underappreciated and Gary Neville has acknowledged that.

The Manchester United great has insisted that Firmino has been an excellent servant to the Reds but still does not get his due credit.

Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, the 47-year-old said, as quoted by HITC Sport:

“Firmino, for me, he’s been one of my favourites over the past few years, I know he’s the one that’s understated and he’s underrated at times, but for me, he’s contributed unbelievable amounts to this club because of how he’s dovetailed."

"I think of players we appreciated at United that didn’t get the headlines, but were so important, and Firmino has done that role."

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Roberto Firmino still remains a key cog in the Liverpool machine

Roberto Firmino may not have made as much headlines as his fellow attackers, but his contribution behind Liverpool's success over the years has been massive. Liverpool fans fondly call the Brazilian attacker 'El Systemino' for a reason and that is probably why the 30-year-old has not gotten enough appreciation.

The triumvirate of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino has been one of the greatest attacking trios of the modern era. And without Firmino, it would have never been possible.

The Brazilian, in a false-nine role, has made the Reds tick under Klopp with his unique style of play. With his intelligent movement, vision and pressing, Firmino creates space for the wide attackers, which is why Salah and Mane have been so lethal up front.

With the arrivals of Diogo Jota last season and Luis Diaz in January, the 30-year-old has dropped down Klopp's pecking order. However, he remains one of the biggest assets of the Merseyside club and Klopp still seems to have a lot of trust in his number nine.

Firmino has only started 16 games for Liverpool this season while coming on as a substitute on 15 occasions. He has found the back of the net 11 times in the process while contributing with four assists.