At Liverpool on Tuesday night, the contract status of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk will be hanging in the Anfield sky – but there will be one high-profile expiring The characters leave a lasting impression.

Jonathan David may have been in the shop window, but Lille’s superb performance against the Reds in the Champions League will have him on everyone’s lips.

As this window shows, center is one of the hardest positions to shop for, but here’s a forward in his prime entering the final six months of his career — and the last six of his career. moon.

Last year was an exceptional year for the Canadian striker, with only three players – Salah, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe – having more goals and assists than on January 14 There’s more to David than 25 years old.

David averages a goal every 86 minutes and is obsessed with putting the ball in the back of the net. According to one of his former bosses, this was his main attribute.

“He’s the player that impressed me the most since I’ve been a coach, since 2008. He’s incredible,” said former Lille coach Jocelyn Gurvenek . sky sports.

“He was always focused on his job, his game, scoring goals. No one could disturb him. He was always focused, very quiet, very focused.

“He loves football, he loves training.” This will be evident during the 2021-22 season when Gurvenek will coach defending Ligue 1 champions Lille.

David was the team’s talisman, scoring 22 goals that season. But despite his high status, he refused to take a day off.

The day after playing 90 minutes in Ligue 1 that season, the striker was told to undergo recovery training, which was only available to players who were on the bench or who did not take part in training.

But David has his boots on, on the training ground, ready to go. What’s the reason? Desire to score.

“He showed up and said: ‘I want to train’,” Gurvenek added.

“I asked the staff to talk to him but there was some trouble because he didn’t agree with the decision to play 90 minutes yesterday so he couldn’t train that morning.

“Because four days later we had another game. He said: ‘I don’t understand. I’m fit, I was fit yesterday. I have to train because I have to score goals’. It’s incredible for a coach , to have such a player.”

The Canadian striker has scored 26 goals in each of his two full seasons at Lille since Gourvenec’s season with David.

With 17 goals in 30 games so far this season, he is likely to match or even surpass that mark again.

Most of his goals have come from inside the box – an area of ​​the pitch where he excels. There’s something about being in the right place at the right time with David, especially on the biggest stage.

His four goals in the Champions League came against Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Real Madrid.

“He’s very good at staying calm in front of goal in the penalty area and positioning the ball instead of always looking for power,” Gurvenek said of David’s finishing skills.

“A goal one meter out at the back post. Yes, even I could have scored easily. But the thing with Jonathan is that he is always alone in these situations – and then the ball attracts him like a magnet Around him. In the penalty area, he always finds those spaces, it’s like a game science.”

But goals aren’t the only aspect of David’s game. Three seasons ago, the forward did not dish out a single assist in 2021-22.

But since then, he has dished out 20 assists over the past two and a half seasons.

“He was always there for the team, he loved to score, but he was always happy when he was able to assist his teammates,” Gurvenek said.

“He runs 12 kilometers every game and those numbers are like a midfielder. He always has a high-intensity effort.”

“Every three or four days, when you have to play two games a week, it’s not a problem for him because his recovery level is high.”

With all this skill and the goals that followed, it’s unbelievable why David wasn’t picked up earlier.

After all, his talent has been well documented for some time. It has been four years since he led Lille to win the Ligue 1 title in 2021.

But there is interest across Europe. At least four Premier League clubs are understood to be keen on a move for the striker in 2025, with Chelsea and West Ham United publicizing their interest last summer.

“He didn’t want to stay so long but the club didn’t open the door for him,” Gurvenek added. “Now he’s in a good position to make a choice.

“The club doesn’t want him to leave, it’s not his decision, but he respects that and the other players in the squad.”

When David heads to Anfield on Tuesday night, it may not be his last game in the Premier League. “I don’t know if I can find myself anywhere other than the Premier League,” the striker said in 2022.

UK fans may have to get used to David’s defence.