The forward has been elevated to the Anfield giants’ first team squad this season and started last week’s Europa League game in Austria against LASK Linz.
And Liverpool No.2 Ljinders namechecked his country’s most famous player when discussing the development of the 17-year-old winger.
He said: “Ben is young so a lot of things can happen. I had the privilege to grow up in Holland, so we have a long tactical culture of Johan Cruyff.
They always said the most special players and the way we wanted to play in the past – and still with a lot of teams – is this idea of having the wingers on the outside, can create, can really use one-on-ones to disorganise the opposition with their speed.
“In the past that was Marc Overmars, Arjen Robben, this kind of player, before that in my country we had Johnny Rep, Rob Rensenbrink, so we have this culture of wingers.
And then if you get a young winger from Scotland that’s only 17 years old and has this capacity to create and to reach the final line with the individual skill or individual movements, it’s nice to see.
“The good thing with Ben, in my opinion, is that he comes into a squad with so many senior players and authority… I think he’s not this kind of guy but he will never make a side-step.
“The boys will immediately tell him. You already hear constantly that Andy Robertson shouts ‘decisions’ at him!
“But he has this great, great low gravity and that’s how he can control the ball better. He can control the ball on the highest speed with his left and right foot, so he’s a really interesting player.
“There is loads to come. He needs to mature, he needs to listen to Robbo, he needs to listen to Mo Salah, he needs to listen to all of the big players at the club who are really trying to help him.”
