Liverpool stars have been queuing up to speak of their excitement at the imminent arrival of the incoming Mark ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez.
The Chilean winger has been in outstanding form for Real Sociedad where he’s been on loan and he will definitely provide the ammunition for the Liverpool strikers next season.
Steven Gerrard told the club’s official website: ‘We actually trained with him for a couple of weeks before he went back to Spain earlier in the season and it was clear to us all then that he’s got loads of ability.
‘You could see that he’s hungry to do well, which is important, and he came across as a good lad as well.
‘That’s the type of player we want here, people who are good for team spirit and who’ll also do a good job out on the pitch.
‘I’m sure Mark is going to do that for us and like everyone, I’m looking forward to his arrival.
‘We’ve all been following his progress at Real Sociedad via the Spanish football on television and he’s been doing really well.’
Xabi Alonso joined Gerrard in his praise of the 21yr old winger and admitted he’d been following his progress through his brother, Mikel, who also plays for Sociedad, Alonso is confident Liverpool have got themselves a top-class performer.
‘My brother told me Mark was playing very well in Spain and everyone was really excited about him,’ says Alonso.
‘I spoke to him a lot before the end of the season because I was really concerned about the team’s position in the table, but they did well to reach a safe position and were very happy with Mark.
‘Mark made it clear how much he was looking forward to coming to play for Liverpool, but he really enjoyed his time with Real Sociedad and was happy for the chance to play every week, especially after being injured for six months.
‘It was good news for him, Real Sociedad and Liverpool that he played so well there.’
Liverpool striker Peter Crouch also joined the others and said he was excited by the signing of Gonzalez.
Crouch said: ‘I saw him in the 1-1 draw at Real Madrid recently and he was man-of-the-match, scoring the equaliser and terrorising the Madrid defence.
‘Mark looks like an exciting player and on a personal note having wingers in the side certainly benefits me.
‘He was here training with us for a few weeks before he went back to Spain in January and I know the manager was really keen for him to stay.
‘We are always looking to add quality players to the side so it was frustrating when Mark wasn’t allowed to stay with us.
‘Hopefully he’ll be here for pre-season training.’
Share this article
