Origi Determined to Become One of the World’s Top Strikers

Since the arrival of Jürgen Klopp in the autumn, young Liverpool striker Divock Origi has quickly found form and established himself as second choice at striker behind Daniel Sturridge. It may not mean starting every week, but it should put to rest any doubts about the 20-year-old’s abilities following an up and down final season at Lille and a slow start at Liverpool.

So far, Origi has five goals and a pair of assists in 23 appearances across all competition for the club, and with many of those coming off the bench it’s certainly a solid return for the young Belgian, who has convincingly pushed himself past fellow countryman Christian Benteke on the depth chart. Origi’s goal, though, is to be far more than just Liverpool’s second choice to Daniel Sturridge.

"My dream to become a top player in the world is my motivation," Origi told the club’s official website when he was asked what it was that motivates him in training every day, and while it might seem a big ask, on the early evidence it doesn’t seem a complete impossibility for the talented youngster. "Every day in training and every game is an opportunity to get a step closer to that."

Origi’s early chances for Liverpool mostly came in the Europa League this season, where he started in four of the six group stage matches and had a pair of assists. His statement match, though, came in the League Cup, where he scored a hat-trick against Southampton in December to signal he was ready to take on a bigger role. Since then, at least when fit, he has consistently impressed.

When Liverpool signed him for only £10M after an impressive showing at the 2014 World Cup, hopes were high that’s what he would do, but after being loaned back to Lille for the 2014-15 season he struggled and was named to the worst team of the season by L’Equipe. That led to some doubts, as did a slow start at Liverpool, with too many forgetting he was still only 20 years old at the time.

Whether he goes on to become one of the best in the game is anybody’s guess, but at the very least he once again looks a steal at the £10M Liverpool paid for him, and with the Euros coming up this summer he again looks ready to play a key role for his country on one of the game’s biggest stages.