Have Liverpool found their new Steven Gerrard in Dominik Szoboszlai? The Hungarian star is another leader on the pitch with dynamite in his boots

• Szoboszlai has drawn comparisons to Steven Gerrard after his goal vs Leicester 
• The Hungarian is already showing why he’s been given the famous No 8 shirt 
• Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here

To see Dominik Szoboszlai wearing red No 8 and smashing the ball into the top corner from outside the penalty area for Liverpool against Leicester on Wednesday night evoked strong memories of Steven Gerrard in his prime.

At just 22, the Hungarian hammer is already showing why he’s been given the famous shirt to wear.

Alongside Kenny Dalglish, Gerrard is the greatest player in Liverpool’s illustrious history. Szoboszlai has a long way to go to prove he is a worthy successor, but it is clear in terms of ability, power and leadership skills that the £60million midfielder has incredible potential.

Here, Mail Sport looks at different aspects of his game and how he stands up to the legendary Stevie G.

Szoboszlai has drawn comparisons to Steven Gerrard after his stunning goal against Leicester

The Hungarian hammer is already showing why he’s been given the famous No 8 shirt

SHOOTING

Gerrard will forever be remembered for his long-range shooting, whether it was the stoppage-time howitzer to level an FA Cup final with West Ham, or the Olympiacos strike that got Liverpool into the Champions League group stages in the season they won it.

Szoboszlai showed against Leicester why his dad claims he has the best shot in the world. Coming from Hungary, the country of Ferenc Puskas, they know a thing or two about the subject. The cleanliness with which he hit the ball this week and the speed at which it erupted into the top corner was a real ‘Wow’ moment.

Gerrard 9/10, Szoboszlai 9/10

Gerrard will forever be remembered for his long-range strikes throughout his career  

Szoboszlai showed against Leicester why his dad claims he has the best shot in the world

LEADERSHIP

Hard to evaluate because Gerrard finished his career as one of the Premier League’s great captains but at Szoboszlai’s current age, 22, he wasn’t seen as a natural leader. 

When he was initially given the captaincy to replace Sami Hyypia, Gerrard himself was unsure he could do the job. Szoboszlai won’t run the team in the way Gerrard did, both by word and example, but he’s an influencer considering he’s just arrived in the country.

‘A confident boy,’ says Klopp. ‘It’s been easy for him to adjust to the dressing room.’ Even at such a relatively young age, he’s skipper with the Hungarian national team.

Gerrard 8, Szoboszlai 7

Gerrard became the Reds captain aged 23 but was unsure he’d fulfill the role at the time 

TACTICS

Rafa Benitez used to get frustrated when Gerrard played in central midfield — feeling he lacked discipline and would go walkabout, leaving Liverpool too open. Hence, he often played the skipper wide on the right. ‘I couldn’t handle it, I wanted to be involved all the time,’ admitted Gerrard.

Szoboszlai seems able to fit into any system, perhaps a benefit from developing in the coaching programmes at RB Salzburg and Leipzig, having left Hungary as a teenager to build his career.

‘The Red Bull family,’ he calls it. They taught him to be a No 10 capable of unlocking defences while having the nous and work-rate to play deeper.

Gerrard 7, Szoboszlai 8

Szoboszlai has  benefitted from developing in the coaching programmes at RB Salzburg and Leipzig

GOALS

Gerrard specialised in big goals rather than being a frequent scorer like his club rival and England team-mate Frank Lampard. He scored 186 goals for Liverpool, about one every four games, and 21 for England in 114 appearances.

Like his predecessor, Szoboszlai isn’t famed for taking up positions inside the penalty area but will get his fair share of goals through precision and power from longer range.

He reached double figures for Leipzig in the last two seasons and has netted twice at Liverpool so far. The pair are similar in this regard.

Gerrard 7, Szoboszlai 7

Gerrard specialised in big goals for Liverpool rather than being a frequent scorer

TACKLING

You know the Kop song ‘Steve Gerrard, Gerrard, he’s big and he’s f****** hard’. It gives you an idea that whenever he went for the ball, his opponent knew about it.

Gerrard was usually strong but fair. Occasionally, he’d step on the wrong side of the laws — as eight red cards would suggest. The most infamous was a stamp on Manchester United’s Ander Herrera 38 seconds after coming on as sub. Szoboszlai prefers to be a lover not a fighter but that doesn’t mean he can’t do the dirty side of the game. He can lead the press and win the ball back.

Gerrard 9, Szoboszlai 7

Gerrard stamped on Man United’s Ander Herrera 38 seconds after coming on as sub in 2015

PERSONALITY

Gerrard grew into his iconic status on Merseyside, becoming more vocal the longer his career went on. His mentoring of Jordan Henderson was important for Liverpool, making the transition from one captain to another easier than it might have been.

Szoboszlai is more of an extrovert and has a glint in his eye. On arriving at Anfield, he wasn’t shy in predicting Liverpool would finish higher than Manchester City, whose biggest star is his friend and former Salzburg team-mate Erling Haaland. ‘I’m not joking. I am the type that wants to finish first,’ he insisted.

He’s already at home in England. His team-mates know him as ‘Szobo’ — for those on the Kop, he’s simply ‘Dom’.

Gerrard 8, Szoboszlai 8

Compared to Gerrard, Szoboszlai is more of an extrovert and has a glint in his eye

FINAL VERDICT

The immediate impact that Szoboszlai has made at Anfield can be judged by even being mentioned in the same sentence as Gerrard.

He will need to produce over the next decade to be regarded with the same amount of love and admiration on Merseyside, but boy what a start he has made.

Total: Gerrard 48/60 Szoboszlai 46/60

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