Reds fans hail new hero Nuri

LIVERPOOL

Liverpool fans hail Nuri Şahin (R) as their new hero after the Turkish midfielder scored two goals against WBA. AFP photo

Liverpool fans hailed the team’s new hero, Nuri Şahin, as the Turkish midfielder scored his first goals for the team in the League Cup.

Collecting just two points in five games, Liverpool has made its worst start to a league campaign in a century, but on Sept. 26, the Reds saw reasons to be hopeful, with Brendan Rodgers’ young team rallied to beat West Bromwich Albion.

The playmaker scored his first Liverpool goal from a long-distance effort and then capped the win by finishing a classy team effort with minutes left in the game.

“It was very special for me to score my first goal for Liverpool and it was a proud moment,” Şahin said on the club’s official website. “We played with a young side and they showed a lot of character, especially to come back from 1-0 down, and they did very well.”

After the game, the Reds fans took to social media to sing the praises of the 24-year-old Turk, who is on loan from Real Madrid. The slogan “He’s Turkish, he’s mean, he’s a goal-scoring machine, Nuri Şahin, Nuri Şahin!” was retweeted hundreds of times after the game.

Liverpool’s star forward Luis Suarez also congratulated his teammate, and wrote “So happy and proud of my teammates for this great victory. I also want to congratulate Nuri Şahin for his first goals!” on his personal Facebook account.

Nuri Şahin is likely to start on the team’s trip to Norwich on Sept. 29, with Jonjo Shelvey suspended.
Forward Jerome Sinclair also became the club’s youngest-ever player at 16 years and six days, when he came on as a second-half substitute.

“It’s congratulations to Jerome Sinclair. Our future is bright with the young players. The style and definition of our game is improving all the time,” said Rodgers. “It’s great to see the kids playing with confidence. We fully deserved the win. For me it’s about talent irrespective of age. We’ve got a small squad. It’s a club where young players are going to get a chance.”