88% Pass Success And 10 Key Passes: Liverpool Lining Up Bundesliga Midfielder As Gerrard Replacement - Player Report

Steven Gerrard has had an incredible career. Not only has he represented Liverpool on nearly 700 occasions, but he has also earned himself 108 caps for England and is still going strong in the Premier League at the age of 33. However, there will come a time when the Anfield skipper will have to hang up his boots and whoever is in charge of the club will have to replace him, and the man to apparently do so could be Borussia Monchengladbach's Granit Xhaka. But who is he, and what could he offer the Reds?

The 21-year-old is an energetic player who has played in all but one of Gladbach's Bundesliga games this season. Die Fohlen have now won five games on the bounce in the German top tier and the Switzerland international has been a massive part of that.

He has created 10 opportunities for his team-mates and has had 11 shots at goal, but it's the way he sits and dictates from the deeper role that impresses me.

He's a player who is keen to keep things ticking for his side and likes to keep the ball moving, and in doing so he has completed 88% of his overall passes. He has won 27 tackles of the 40 he has gone in for and has been successful in 68% of his take ons.

The midfielder certainly has the credentials to fill the boots of the club captain, but you get the feeling Gerrard's presence in Merseyside will always be missed when he retires. 

stats via Squawka