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There has been plenty of attention paid to Divock Origi since Liverpool purchased him in the summer of 2014, and over the past few months it's mostly been negative. A quick start to the season appeared to indicate that all was set to unfold according to plan, but as the fall progressed it turned into a nightmare for both player and club as the goals dried up and Lille slid down the table.
Concern about stalled progress led to talk of a January recall, but with Lille unwilling to part with the player ahead of the scheduled summer recall--at least without receiving a significant amount of money in return--nothing came to fruition. His struggles in an increasingly challenging environment largely continued, and all involved seemed to be counting down the days until he joined up with Liverpool in the summer.
Today hopefully represents something of a turnaround, however, as he got on the scoresheet for the first time in 20 matches in the 3-0 win over Rennes. The first was an excellent strike, the second from the spot, and the third a poacher's finish as he split two defenders and poked in with his left foot.
If he can kick on from here, it will be a wonderful boost and valuable learning experience. After struggling for so long, an uptick in form and getting back among the goals would be a crucial part of his development, and the timing couldn't be better.
