Dominik Szoboszlai says the chance to play for Jurgen Klopp was a key factor in his decision to move to Liverpool.
The 22-year-old described his new manager as one of the best in world football for what he has achieved with the Reds and says he cannot wait to get started at Anfield.
Liverpool officially confirmed the arrival of the Hungary captain on Sunday afternoon when he joined on a five-year deal from RB Leipzig for a fee of £60m.
The triggering of the 22-year-old's release clause makes him the fourth most expensive signing of all time at Anfield behind Virgil van Dijk (£75m), Alisson Becker (£65m) and Darwin Nunez (£64m initial).
READ MORE: Dominik Szoboszlai transfer to Liverpool confirmed with contract length and fee details
Szoboszlai becomes the second signing of the summer following the £35m addition of Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister in early June as the club continued on with their summer plans to restructure a midfield that lost Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the end of the season.
The attacking midfielder scored 10 goals and created 13 assists across all competitions last season and is viewed as an exciting and versatile option for Klopp ahead of the new Premier League campaign, which gets underway at Chelsea on August 13.
In a chat with Liverpoolfc.com, Szoboszlai explained how he was convinced to join the club due to the success of Klopp's Reds over the last few seasons.
“It feels really, really good," he said. "I enjoyed the last [few] days and I’m looking forward to knowing everybody better. The last three or four days went really long; it was not that easy. But at the end I’m here, I’m happy and I can’t wait to get started.
“I've been in Leipzig and Salzburg and it was also really nice, but here as well, it's really cool. I was really happy [when I heard of Liverpool's interest] but I stayed calm because I didn't want to be too early [too] happy. First when the boss called me, I felt that OK, it can be a really good thing at the end. Yes, in the end, everything is perfect.
"[A] really historic club, really good players, good coach, everything is good. For me it was perfect to make the next step in a club like this. The fans, the stadium, everything is really good.
"As I said, I think in 2020, [Klopp is] one of the best coaches in the world. How he acts next to the pitch, it is like he plays with the guys. I like that really a lot. And also how he does with the last few years, what he has achieved with this club is also really impressive, so I am looking forward to working with him."
Szoboszlai arrives at Anfield with a reputation of being a versatile player and while he insists he is not concerned about where he is utilised at Liverpool, he feels he can flourish as an attacking midfielder with the Reds.
He added: "To be honest, it doesn't matter to me where I play. I just want to be on the pitch. Of course, everyone has their own positions, attacking midfielder as a No.10, I can play on both sides, left and right and on the sides, also. I just want to play. I am a player who can play box to box, quite fast but not the fastest as I see the players here. I have a quite good shot but it's not only me, it's the team so I am looking forward."
Szoboszlai has previously played at Anfield having featured for a Red Bull Salzburg side that were beaten 4-3 in a Champions League group game in October 2019 and he can't wait to experience the stadium for the first time as Reds player when the club re-open the venue to 61,000 supporters from August.
“This time made me feel bad because we lost 4-3! But of course, I’ve said it before, I’ve almost never been nervous before the game, I think this was the first time in my life," he said. “Of course the stadium, the fans were unbelievable even [though] they were against us [Salzburg]. And we will see how it is when they are with me.
“I heard that [Anfield] is going to be bigger. Of course counting the days back because it’s a really proud time to get on the pitch in Anfield as a player for Liverpool. My phone has gone crazy! I really want to play in front of [the fans] at Anfield."
