“He gave me a lot of tips”: Ozan Kabak reveals advice from Liverpool defender

When at Liverpool, despite only for a brief amount of time, Ozan Kabak did the job he was asked to do, even being rewarded with his own song from the Anfield faithful in the process. Now at Norwich, where he looks increasingly likely to face the drop, Kabak has spoken on the advice that Virgil van Dijk gave him.

The defender said: "I really like Virgil van Dijk. I played with him in training sessions on the pitch. I really like him, his styles, his abilities; he’s my role model as a player.

“Three years ago my old teammate from Galatasaray was friends with him and he sent a signed jersey to me. Last year he wasn’t playing but he was in the dressing room all the time and we had conversations about playing. He gave me a lot of tips on how to play.”

Speaking on playing under Jurgen Klopp, Kabak said: “I enjoyed working with him and I feel very proud to know him. He’s very special, he’s a very good man-manager. Hopefully our ways cross in the future.

“It was harder to settle in at Liverpool. In the winter the club was suffering from poor results – there were Champions League games and a lot of Premier League rivals too.”

ANFIELD WATCH VERDICT

It comes as no surprise to see Ozan Kabak singing the praise of Virgil van Dijk; it’s just a shame that the now-Norwich man didn’t get the opportunity to play next to him. Maybe one day we’ll see a return to Anfield for Kabak, but, for now, his focus will be on doing the impossible: Keep Norwich City afloat.