Former Manchester United midfielder Quinton Fortune believes Nemanja Matic can be the Reds' answer to ex-Chelsea star Claude Makelele.
Fortune competed against Makelele during their time in the Premier League and the Frenchman made a deep-lying position his own, with his intelligent and selfless work drawing widespread praise.
Matic was converted into a more defensive midfield role at Benfica and thrived in various systems under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho is a huge admirer of his third summer signing and clearly views him as a vital cog in his machine.
With the Serbian in the travelling squad and available to make his debut in Dublin against Sampdoria in the final game of Tour 2017, presented by Aon, all eyes will be on the Aviva Stadium this evening [Wednesday].