Whenever the phrase ‘dream debut’ is uttered, the mind automatically tends to turn towards a big-money striker finding the back of the net to prompt immediate headlines about chunks of the transfer fee already being paid back.
The likes of Kevin Keegan, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Luis Suarez and Mohamed Salah all got their Liverpool careers off to a flying start by notching memorable goals in their first appearance in the red shirt and while a debut strike is of course no guarantee of sustained success as Nigel Clough, Stan Collymore and El Hadji-Diouf proved, supporters love to see a prospective new hero setting their stall out early.
It’s harder but not impossible for defenders to make the same kind of immediate impact. Who after all can forget Virgil van Dijk demonstrating just what a transformative signing he would be for Jurgen Klopp’s Reds by nodding home a wildly-celebrated late winner at the Kop end to knock Everton out of the FA Cup?
