The 70-year-old, who oversaw two spells at the helm of the club, managed legends like Steven Gerrard and Alan Shearer, but reserved special praise for Lucas Leiva. The Brazilian plied his trade at Anfield for ten years after joining from local side Gremio in 2007, but only 18 of that period came under Dalglish.
Yet the former Liverpool and Celtic forward has picked Leiva as one of the best players he has worked with, largely for the qualities the player brought off the pitch.
Speaking on the Kenn 7 Official Podcast on YouTube, he said:
Liverpool midfielder was ‘brilliant’, says former coach
Despite spending a decade at Anfield, during which he made 346 appearances in all competitions, Leiva was among the less heralded players.
His only trophy at the club was the League Cup in 2012, when Dalglish, coincidentally, was the Liverpool manager. Dalglish feels the 35-year-old was crucial in keeping the side together off the pitch, saying:
Leiva joined Lazio in 2017 for £5 million, and remains a key figure for the Serie A outfit. He was understandably delighted to see Dalglish wax lyrical about him, and took to Twitter to share his reaction:
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