We would forgive you for perhaps only knowing Sander Berge from his immense potential on Football Manager 2020, but the Genk midfielder isn’t too shabby in real life either.
Having stood out in the Champions League this season – including two matches against Liverpool – Berge is starting to attract interest from a host of Europe’s top clubs, with the Reds themselves strongly linked with the 21-year-old.
The Norwegian is a very exciting prospect but, with all due respect, already seems far too good to be playing in the Pro League in Belgium and it seems an inevitability that the midfielder will move on to better things in either January or the summer.
With all this in mind, let’s take a look at why Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp should do everything in their power to sign the youngster…
A Great Presser of the Ball
This is an essential for any Liverpool midfielder. Given the way the Reds love to harry the opposition and press through the centre of the park, Berge would have little difficulty adapting to Jurgen Klopp’s high-intensity system.
The Norwegian is full of energy and has great positioning which enables him to win the ball back for his side and overturn possession – a trait which is highly sought after at Anfield.
Fantastic Dribbling
Perhaps his greatest asset is his dribbling. The youngster has a brilliant ability to drive forward from deep in midfield and run through the heart of the opposition. Last season, Berge made an average of 2.81 dribbles per game with an 87.7% success rate, frequently venturing on mazy runs before offloading the ball.
This would be of great benefit to the Reds, who often find it hard to connect their industrious midfield and golden front three due to a lack of mobility in central positions.
Plenty of Experience
Berge began his career in the Norwegian second tier back in 2014. However, since then he has consistently played first-team football at Valerenga, Genk and is a full international for Norway. Add this to the priceless Champions League experience he is gaining this term, and you have a player who is starting to get game time at the highest level.
Berge has scored three goals this season, starting all of Genk’s Champions League games, all but one of their league matches and all of Norway’s Euro 2020 qualification fixtures.
He’s (Relatively) Cheap
To you and I, £20m is more money than we will ever see. But for a club like Liverpool, it’s peanuts.
Berge is estimated to cost around that mark, with Genk wanting to get as much as they can for their prize asset. Liverpool were supposedly unable to spend in summer due to a lack of funds for transfers, but at that price, Berge seems too good to ignore.
Vital Squad Depth
Liverpool’s squad is nowhere near as deep as title rivals Manchester City, and for that they may pay. Neglecting the opportunity to strengthen in summer, the Reds have found themselves struggling to replace the likes of Mohamed Salah, Joel Matip and Alisson when they have been sidelined, and with a frenzy of winter fixtures this problem will only get worse.
Berge could offer a great like-for-like replacement for Fabinho when the Brazilian needs a well-earned rest and help Liverpool juggle domestic and European challenges as the season progresses
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