Kuyt to Stay at Liverpool
Liverpool and Holland striker, Dirk Kuyt, says he has no intention of moving away from the Merseyside club after the World Cup has finished.
The Dutch are about to play Spain for football's biggest prize but there are questions over many Liverpool players after the arrival of new manager, Roy Hodgson, at the club.
The player has already said that he does not want to move away from the club and he will get a chance to re-confirm his interest once he gets back to England from South Africa.
This is likely to be a huge boost for everyone at the club because Hodgson may have been worrying over whether he would have to convince important players to stay. Kuyt has had a very good World Cup for his country and it would not have been a surprise if he had sought a move to a bigger European club.
Positives
There are many positives to Kuyt staying at Liverpool. It is one more name that Hodgson can cross off the list and not have to worry about. He is going to have to talk long and hard to a couple of Liverpool players who he will want to stay at the side to help them move forward.
Kuyt has proved his versatility and discipline at the club and at the World Cup, which is likely to make him a key figure in any system that Hodgson invents during his time in charge of Liverpool. He is by no means an attractive player to watch but he possesses qualities, which make him a very determined and successful player.
If Holland go on and win the World Cup then Liverpool will have a player that played a key role in this success in their team. Kuyt will be full of confidence, more so than he has ever been. This will elevate his performance levels in a Liverpool shirt and it will mean that he will give all he can for the club because he will want the taste of success to continue.
Next Move
The next move for Liverpool is to get the future of other key players sorted at the club. Some are still playing in the World Cup, most notably, Fernando Torres. Hodgson will not be able to deal with these players until they get back to England.
If there are going to be departures from the club then there will have to be replacements who come in and do a job for the team. This means that Hodgson will have to already start work on looking for the types of players that he wants at the club.
This is difficult and very risky business for a manager who will want to focus on other areas as the club prepare for the new season. It will divert attention into an area that the manager should not have to worry about and this time could be better spent.
Liverpool are going to be very hard to predict at the start of the new season because right now it's unclear how they will shape up. Hodgson will deploy common sense tactics, which should work successfully for the team but the point is he can't prepare for this if he doesn't know who his players will be.
Kuyt is unlikely to be the top scorer during the Premier League. However, he is a work horse, which is why he is so highly respected and admired. He is capable of coming up with a goal now and then but only back him against the weaker teams that Liverpool play.
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