Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt is eagerly anticipating his return to Utrecht but knows three points is the priority.
But three points are the priority for Dutchman
Dirk Kuyt is eagerly anticipating his return to Utrecht but the Dutchman knows that helping Liverpool earn three points is the priority.
The Holland international spent five years at the Stadion Galgenwaard at the beginning of his professional career and has quickly recovered from a shoulder injury in order to go back to his former home.
But Kuyt is not allowing sentiment to outweigh Liverpool's need for a victory on Thursday to follow their opening Europa League Group K win over Steaua Bucharest.
"It means a lot to go back," Kuyt told Liverpool's
official website of the return to Utrecht.
Opportunity
"They are the club that gave me the opportunity to play professional football. I had five years there and really enjoyed it. I was really happy for the opportunity they gave me.
"I don't know a lot of players there now. There are just two or three that still play for the team, but I also know a few guys who work at the club so it'll be nice to go back and see them.
He added: "We want to get a result. If we beat Utrecht in Utrecht, it will be great because we would have six points in the group already and we would almost be in the next round.
"They have had some great results there, like beating Celtic 4-0. The 0-0 result in their first group game against Napoli was decent too.
"They seem to make it very difficult for big teams. If you ask the Ajax players if they like going to Utrecht, then everyone would say 'no' because it's very difficult to get a good result there.
"We work every day with this team and know we have the quality. It's just a matter of time until we get results."
Unfortunate
Kuyt scored a controversial goal in Liverpool's 2-2 Premier League draw against Sunderland on Saturday to mark his comeback from injury in style, but he confesses he needs matches to regain full fitness.
"I still need a bit of time," he added. "An injury like this needs four to six weeks. I recovered very quickly but you also need a couple of games to get back into it.
"Obviously it was a great feeling to score again and help the team. Unfortunately we couldn't win the game but I'm sure if we keep working in the same way the results will come.
"We want to improve as quickly as possible. Hopefully we can start with the Utrecht game and follow it up with three points against Blackpool. Then we could go away for the international games with a good feeling."
