Jay Rodriguez says he's happy to see his former Southampton teammates Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane performing so well at Liverpool, and has backed both recently-crowned Premier League champions to "keep dominating football".
Burnley forward Rodriguez spent five years at Saints between 2012 and 2017, during which time he performed alongside both Van Dijk and Mane before they left for Liverpool.
He will come face-to-face with both players when the Clarets go to Anfield on Saturday, and says that both deserve every bit of success that has come their way.
“They are really good people, I really do get on well with them,” Rodriguez told the Burnley Express.
“I learnt a lot from them when they came in and I played alongside them and trained with them.
“You could see the potential they had then, you could see they were both on a different level, and I think they’re still hitting new levels and continuing to improve.
“It’s all come through hard work.
“I’m so happy to see them fulfil their potential and they’ll carry that on to keep dominating football.
“It’s brilliant to see, I really enjoyed my time playing alongside both of them.
“They’re both such nice people and that’s why it was so easy to get to know them.
“They’re such good guys and it’s nice to see my former teammates doing so well.
“Fair play to them.”
All three players were in the Southampton team for the 2015/16 season when the club finished sixth under Ronald Koeman, and Rodriguez remains in no doubt of their quality or their importance to Jurgen Klopp's team now.
“I’m proud of them for winning the Champions League last year and the Premier League this time, but I feel that they’re going to carry on pushing," he added.
“They’ve got real quality, they are world class players.
“A lot of it is down to them.
“They’re obviously important players, but they’re also great people and they work hard.
“They are both unbelievable talents and it will be good to see them.
“It’s going to be a tough game, but it’s one that we’re looking forward to.”
