Inside Futbol (IF): Mr Rossi, do you think that Dominik Szoboslai will be a successful transfer for Liverpool?
Marco Rossi (MR): Dominik has an interesting profile and I think he will be very important. Liverpool are trying to rebuild their midfield and Dominik Szoboszlai along with Alexis Mac Allister are two fantastic choices.
Dominik will make the step in his career to become a top player and be recognised all over Europe.
IF: How would you describe him as a player and what makes him so special?
MR: When I saw him for the first time, he was not even 18 and afterward I spoke with him. He debuted for the national team at this age, in March 2018.
Among others, the most impressive thing at the beginning was the fact that he had an unbelievable personality, his natural leadership, and then of course all this together with his talent and commitment.
He is a guy, a player who has improved a lot year after year thanks to his desire to improve every day, every time.
He works a lot and he will work even more now because his target is to become the player he wants. He has had many coaches so far who helped him with his development, but I think the most important is himself and his desire to improve day by day.
IF: Some people believe that he has similar potential and mentality to Erling Haaland. Do you agree with that?
MR: You cannot compare a striker like Haaland with the classical Number 10 of Dominik.
Haaland is living for goals. His life is to score goals. Dominik, on the other hand, likes to give us assists and score goals. This is something he will have to improve in order to become a top player in his position, to score more goals.
He has totally different characteristics compared to Haaland. They played together at Red Bull Salzburg. Both are very talented but Dominik is an attacking midfielder, not a striker.
IF: After Adam Szalai’s retirement Szoboszlai became the captain of Hungary. What is the main reason that you gave him the armband?
MR: There were many reasons that gave us an indication to offer him the armband.
The most important as I mentioned before is personality and his natural leadership.
Then of course by giving him the armband of the national team we gave him more responsibility, even more than before.
For him, being the captain of the Hungary national team at the moment, but I think also in the future, it will always be a source of great pride in his career.
IF: Did you talk with him after his agreement with Liverpool? What is your advice to Dominik?
MR: We spoke a lot before he wasn’t sure and also afterward.
I only shared with him and his staff [agent, and his family] my appreciation for the done deal because of course being a player of Liverpool is something special, a great achievement and at the moment everybody is expecting Dominik could be among the most important players in the future.
IF: You are one of the managers that has had an impact on his career, do you think that the same will happen at Liverpool because of Jurgen Klopp?
MR: First, I don’t want to take credit for that. Dominik has to be thankful to himself, for his desire, for the people that were working all around him since he was a baby.
I don’t want to put myself in the spotlight, I prefer to be on the backstage.
Klopp, in my view, is one of the top coaches in the world and I am sure with him he can develop. He can take other steps forward in order to improve himself in his career.
