Gini Wijnaldum has been hailed as being the ultimate squad player as Liverpool chase both Premier League and Champions League glory this season.
Despite being a regular in the Reds side for the majority of the campaign, the former Newcastle United man has been left out of the starting line up for the last two matches against Porto and Chelsea.
Instead Jurgen Klopp chose to go with a midfield trio of captain Jordan Henderson and a couple of his big signings from last summer, Fabinho and Naby Keita .
Despite such disappointment, Wijnaldum has reacted impeccably in the eyes of his Dutch compatriot and Anfield old boy Dirk Kuyt.
Now 38, Kuyt was known for his own selfless attitude during six-year stint on Merseyside in which he scored 71 goals in 286 outings.
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Writing in his column in De Telegraaf , he said: “I really like Georginio Wijnaldum’s fighting spirit and mentality.
“I briefly saw his face before the match between Liverpool and Chelsea got underway. You could feel how disappointed he was for not being handed a start, but I can only heap praise on him for the way he acted before, during and after the game.
“Before the game kicked off, statistics were shown. They revealed that Gini has played more than 3,000 minutes this season so far. Second was a midfielder with 2,000 minutes under his belt, which means he is the midfielder who has made most minutes.
“Right Jurgen Klopp opts to hand a start to other midfielders because Gini is tired and because some other big games are coming up.
“Gini copes with that in great fashion. When he comes on as a substitute, his work ethic is beyond reproach. He celebrates with his team-mates as he should do. He is a genuine team player.”
