Georginio Wijnaldum is currently bidding to help lead Liverpool to their first ever Premier League title under boss Jurgen Klopp, but prior to his arrival on Merseyside the Dutchman plied his trade at Newcastle who were then managed by a certain Steve McClaren.
Wijnaldum spent a single season at the Toon, who in the end suffered relegation down to the Championship.
A few months before the end of the campaign the club sacked McClaren, a decision which left Wijnaldum ‘devastated’.
"I was devastated that Steve McClaren left because he brought me to Newcastle and he was great to work with and deserved way more from us as players,” Wijnaldum told liverpoolfc.com.
McClaren was then surprisingly replaced by former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, then come the summer Wijnaldum sealed a £23 million switch to Liverpool.
In the interview, the 28-year-old also spoke about how difficult he found playing in defence for Liverpool as it was a position he wasn’t used to, and while he’s also been employed all over the park in various positions; at No.6, No.8, No.10, all over the midfield, and even as a striker, he believes this has combined to help develop his overall game.
“It helps you understand the game because you see the game from different positions. Basically you can think for more players and you can help more players because you understand what they are going through.”
Meanwhile, McClaren went on to have a failed second spell at Derby, before taking the helm of QPR in the summer, and has since recovered from a woeful start to propel the Championship club within two points of the top-six.
