Former Liverpool fan-favourite Dirk Kuyt is enjoying a rich vein of goalscoring form at Turkish club Fenerbahce.
Kuyt was frozen out at Anfield by former boss Kenny Dalglish and left for just £1 million during the summer.The Dutchman had always enjoyed cult status on Merseyside and a large section of the Kop were sad to see him leave. It is interesting to note that the struggles in front of goal Liverpool experienced at the start of the season coincided with Kuyt’s exit.
The 32-year old Dutchman was one of Liverpool’s most reliable players and won the hearts of the Anfield faithful with his hard-working displays and a knack for scoring important goals. Kuyt even managed a hat-trick versus Liverpool’s greatest rivals, Manchester United, in 2011. Despite a disappointing final season at Liverpool, the £1 million they received from Fenerbahce for Kuyt’s services is a paltry fee for a player that could have offered so much to the new generation of youthful, inexperienced Liverpool players.
Kuyt came to Liverpool in 2006 following prolific goalscoring displays for Feyenoord, including one season in which he notched 36 goals. He seamlessly made the transition from Dutch football to the Premier League and hit double figures in all but his final season with the club. The Dutchman has returned to goalscoring form in Turkey, where he has already accumulated 13 goals and 11 assists. That is nine more assists than he managed during the year Kenny Dalglish decided to marginalise a player that had given his all to Liverpool.
The 2005/06 Dutch Footballer of the Year has linked up with former Red, Raul Meireles, at Fenerbahce and the duo are enjoying a much more successful season than their former employers. Fener are through to the last-sixteen of the Europa League, while Liverpool are destined for a trophy-less season. Kuyt has been central to Fener’s success and at just £1 million, he could prove to be one of the signings of the season.
Dirk Kuyt and Fenrbahce are 22/1 with Boylesports.com to win the Europa League.
