Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has lavished praise on Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

The former Arsenal star watched Szoboszlai in action during the 3-1 win against Bournemouth last weekend and he was taken aback by the Hungarian international’s performance:

“I was very impressed with Dominik Szoboszlai the other day – I couldn’t believe how good he was.”

Szoboszlai took the game by the scruff of the neck as the Reds battled to seal victory at Anfield despite being down to ten men for the last half hour after Alexis Mac Allister was sent off.

While Szoboszlai started out in one of the two no.8 positions, he dropped back into a no.6 role following the red card. The switch didn’t really affect the 22-year-old, who possesses attributes that make him very adaptable.

£60m could be a bargain if he maintains his current levels

Some questioned whether the Reds were taking a risk when they decided to trigger Szoboszlai’s €70m (£60m) release clause back in June.

However, the Hungarian’s first couple of games suggest he could be worth every penny.

Szoboszlai is already drawing comparisons to a Liverpool legend

It’s very early days, and it can be easy to get carried away, but the midfielder does have some striking similarities to another player who famously wore the no.8 shirt.

Especially at the beginning of his career, Steven Gerrard was an excellent ball carrier, in addition to being a great passer, and Szoboszlai shares the same traits. Whether he can replicate what we saw from him against Bournemouth on a regular basis, though, we shall have to wait and see.

The Reds take on Newcastle at St James’ Park on Sunday evening. It’s a tough place to go and it will be interesting to see how Szoboszlai copes when he has opponents pressing and harrying him from the first minute.

You can watch a preview of this weekend’s Premier League games on Shots! TV here