Ozan Kabak has settled in quickly to life in Liverpool after joining the Premier League side on loan from Schalke 04 in January.
The Turkey international was put through his paces early on, given little time to adapt and had to either sink or swim to prove himself.
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Kabak has managed to keep his place in the Liverpool defence making 13 appearances in all competitions – missing just one of the Reds last 10 Premier League games and that was due to injury.
The 21-year-old revealed that Virgil van Dijk has helped him with ‘small tips’ about how Liverpool play and what Kabak and do to improve.
“He [Van Dijk] gave me small tips about our football mentality,” Kabak told the official Liverpool website. “I think defenders understand each other better and he came with some small tips about how we play or what I need to do. It helps [my] game.
“I analyse every striker before the game with the video analysis. I ask the guys who work in here [for] their videos and I work on it.
“Before the game I know which foot is stronger and what the abilities are of this striker. It helps me a lot because then it’s easier to guess his next movements.”
Van Dijk was Kabak’s hero before joining Liverpool.
The young defender posed with a signed Van Dijk shirt when he was 18-year-old, playing for Galatasaray.
The Reds have the option to make Kabak’s stay permanent at the end of the season but have yet to confirm whether the young defender will keep his place in the squad next term.
