Raul Meireles ready to show he can be a smash hit for Liverpool FC

10 September 2010 05:00
'HE'LL be absolutely brilliant here, you know - haven't you seen all the clips of him on YouTube?'[LNB]It is the statement/question which now accompanies the arrival of every new signing from abroad; as soon as a club gets mentioned with a player whose skills are unfamiliar to regular Premier League viewers, search engines go in to overdrive and all available footage is studied intently.[LNB] Show Caption nullnullnullnullnullnullnullnullnull The latest player to find himself the subject of such glowing reports is Raul Meireles; Liverpool's new number four might have a solid reputation thanks to his achievements with FC Porto but the vast majority of fans will be uncertain of just what he can do when he crosses that white line.[LNB] Those who have spent a few minutes browsing YouTube will, inevitably, have been impressed by the compilations of him smashing in goals with either foot, jumping to meet headers, roaring into tackles and dovetailing impressively with Cristiano Ronaldo.[LNB]Of course, it is possible with selective editing to make even the most limited footballer appear to be the new Zinedine Zidane, which is why it pays to not make outlandish statements until you have seen these individuals in the flesh.[LNB]Where Meireles - who has cost the Reds more than £11m - is concerned, however, it is difficult not to come to the opinion that Liverpool have made a sound purchase and it will be intriguing to see how he fares when he gets thrust into battle for the first time on Sunday afternoon at Birmingham.

Source: Liverpool_Echo