Wijnaldum: You'll Never Walk Alone is something you never forget
Read part two of our exclusive sit-down chat with Georginio Wijnaldum at Liverpool's team hotel in California. Here he discusses how his season with Newcastle will benefit him at Anfield, playing for Reds fans and the prospect of them creating a song for him...
On what his family and friends back home have been asking him…
They’re always asking me how the training is going and they’re happy I could make the move to Liverpool because it’s a big club. They’re also excited for the games because we’ll play some big games before the season starts and they’re looking forward to them. They tell me I have to enjoy it.
On the benefits of a year’s experience in the Premier League…
I think it’ll help. It’s always better if you have a year in England because you get to know the Premier League, the teams and how they play, the intensity of the games… It’ll help me. In the beginning I didn’t know the intensity – I knew the Premier League, but not how it is to play in it. That is something I see now and something that will help me.
On what makes Premier League football different…
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that the Premier League is always high intensity and the supporters always want you to see you attack and score goals. In Holland, I was used to keeping the ball and then there was space you play forward. Here, they want to see you attack, attack, attack. The intensity is much higher than in the Eredivise. That’s something I’ve learned. You have to be aware of it and keep it in your mind.
On playing for Liverpool fans…
I watched the games on the television. It’s not the same as being among the supporters, but everyone knows Liverpool fans are supporters with great emotion and they support the team in good and bad times. I saw it when I was at Anfield playing for Newcastle and something you always remember is the song, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. It was great to see and now it makes me happy I can play for fans like that.
On how he’d feel if he was given a song by Liverpool fans…
It would make me feel really good! Not every player in every team has a song, so if you have a good song it means the fans appreciate you and that will always give you a good feeling.
To read part one of our exclusive interview, click here.