Liverpool new boy Georginio Wijnaldum has revealed that he was made aware of the Reds' stature by his now former Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez, though the Spanish manager was not keen to let his star player leave.
The Reds confirmed the signing of the 25-year-old last week, signing him on a five-year contract for a fee in the region of £25m.
Giving his reaction to having secured the move, the former PSV man said that it was his Newcastle manager who made him aware of the gigantic nature of the switch he was about to make.
However, Wijnaldum also insists that Benitez had told him about his desire to keep him at St James' Park in spite of the Magpies gearing up for life in the Championship.
"Rafa just said that Liverpool is a big club", Wijnaldum was quoted as saying by beIN Sports.
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"The biggest thing he said was that he wanted to keep me for Newcastle.
"He didn't want to sell me but he said that if a great offer came in they would think about it. He wanted to keep me there.
"He didn't say: 'You need to go to Liverpool' because he wanted me to stay at Newcastle."
The Netherlands international also took time to reveal that he had an offer from Everton, but the desire from the Reds was greater and the conversations with manager Jurgen Klopp made his decision easier.
"I was waiting to see what interest Everton showed in me but Liverpool's interest was greater.
"Jurgen gave me a good feeling in the conversations I had with him, so my mind was made up."
