The Belgium international came off the bench to fire in his side’s second goal in the Merseyside derby at Anfield
Jurgen Klopp hailed Divock Origi as a “world-class” striker and backed him to be a big success at his next club should he leave Liverpool this summer.
Origi came off the bench to play a decisive role for the Reds as they ran out 2-0 winners in the Merseyside derby against Everton on Sunday.
The 27-year-old could leave the Anfield club this summer when his contract expires, but Klopp insists he will always be a legend.
“We will never miss a player like him because if he leaves, he will explode wherever he goes,” Klopp said to Sky Sports after the victory.
“He is a world-class striker, he is a legend and will stay a legend forever. He doesn’t always make the squad which is ridiculous, but he is there when we need him every time.
“He was involved in both games; everything that we did in the second half, without Divock, wouldn’t have happened.
“The group lives because of the boys that don’t always play, they are the strongest players ever; [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain, [Harvey] Elliott, [Takumi] Minamino, even Rhys Williams.
“They are in great shape, but the way they behave is why we do these kind of things.”
Klopp continued in his press conference: “He is a legend on and off the pitch. He is a fantastic footballer for me, and I know it sounds ridiculous as I don’t line him up often.
“He is a world-class striker, he is our best finisher definitely. He always was and everybody would say the same when you see him do these kind of things in training.
“Then, you see the quality of the squad and other players and it’s really hard I imagine [for him].
“Other players were not in the squad but in really good shape, I have really hard decisions to make because the boys all want to contribute and are responsible for the situation we are in.
“Everybody loves Div and rightly so. He was again very decisive. I’m very, very happy for him.”
How has Origi performed this season?
Origi’s appearance was just the sixth time he has featured in the Premier League this season.
All of them have been as a substitute, clocking 102 minutes in total.
However, he has started two of the six games he has played in the Champions League this season, and he featured three times in the Carabao Cup.
In all competitions, Origi has scored six times this season.
