Liverpool legend says Leeds winger reminds him of current Reds superstars

Paul Macdonald

• Updated: 20 May 2021 11:26 BST
• 2 min read

Jamie Carragher has heaped praise on Leeds United star Raphinha, comparing the Brazilian to Liverpool pair Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

Leeds climbed above Arsenal in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Monday night. Raphinha impressed and had a hand in the second goal when Patrick Bamford tapped home the rebound from his shot.

Speaking afterwards, Carragher didn’t hold back in his observation of just how well the winger, signed from Rennes for £17m in the summer is playing.

“We’ve all been there as players and as soon as someone comes in, you think: ‘Aye, aye’,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.

“Some of his touches and his play when he comes inside, we’ve highlighted his movement as well.

“I was really impressed with him when I watched him at Leicester last weekend as well, not just by Raphinha, but Bamford as well.

“You see that shot there (before Bamford’s goal against Palace), that’s so typical of a wide man, that penetrating run that we talk about with Salah, Mane and Sterling, all the great wide players. They make that run and he does. He has great quality on the ball.

“He assisted Bamford certainly in that Leicester game when he fired that pass in and you look at his numbers there, he looks like a real player, certainly of late.

The former Liverpool also compared Raphinha’s impact on the Leeds squad in training to one of his former team-mates, Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso.

“I think we mentioned before the game that he’s been involved in seven goals in the last eight games, so he’s always a huge threat and that’s always telling when your team-mates know from one training session.

“I’ll never forget one player – as soon as Xabi Alonso came to Liverpool – it’s like you could tell in the session, the way he passed, the pace of the pass, the noise of it, as a dressing room you sort of step back and say that we’ve got one here and it sounds like that was what the Leeds dressing room did (with Raphinha).”

It appears Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have taken notice of Raphinha, too, and are planning a move to sign him in the summer.