Iraola praises Araujo after strong Liverpool start

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has expressed his satisfaction with Ronald Araujo's start at the club, saying his first conversation with the Uruguayan defender immediately signalled a positive fit.

Araujo joined Liverpool on loan from FC Barcelona last month and has made six appearances for the Reds, including a Player of the Match performance against Atletico Madrid in which he contributed an assist.

"I'm very happy for him," Iraola said at a press conference on Friday. "Because the first time I talked to him – we knew each other because we played against each other but not personally – sometimes you talk to a player and you can feel straight away that everything was positive."

Iraola noted that Araujo has shown the versatility to operate both as a centre-back and at right-back, and has handled the physical demands of both roles well. "Especially when you are a centre-back and you have to play wide as a right-back, the demands physically are different. Probably [it] is more demanding and he's assuming these efforts well."

The Liverpool manager also highlighted Araujo's attitude and fitness levels. "Physically also, he's played probably more minutes than we expected, being so early in the season, and he's showing [he is] robust. It is still early but he's finishing the games in a good place physically – he's not cramping."

Iraola added that he is encouraging the defender to improve his English in order to make better use of his experience within the squad. "I like his spirit. Now I'm pushing him to learn a little bit the language because a good way for us to use his experience is if he could communicate better with the teammates," he said.