Josko Gvardiol labelled unstoppable as Liverpool, Man Utd target establishes himself among ‘big winners’ of World Cup

Josko Gvardiol has outlined his “limitless” potential at the World Cup after winning a bronze medal with Croatia, according to pundits in the BBC studio.

Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 on Saturday to claim third place at the World Cup. Gvardiol opened the scoring with a header before Morocco quickly hit back via Achraf Dari. However, an effort from Mislav Orsic ensured a podium finish for Zlatko Dalic’s men.

Players from both sides have caught the eye at this World Cup. Gvardiol is among those to have impressed the most, adding to his already strong reputation at club level with RB Leipzig.

Over recent days, Liverpool have been named as the most interested candidate to sign him. Elsewhere, there have been strong claims about interest from Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City.

In truth, it seems every elite club across Europe will be casting glances at the 20-year-old. While they have been watching on in Qatar, he has certainly done his chances of a big move no harm.

After impressing in the third-place play-off, Gvardiol earned plenty of praise from pundits on the BBC.

For example, Jurgen Klinsmann pointed to how he got back on track instantly after being given a tough lesson by Lionel Messi in their semi-final defeat to Argentina.

After presenter Mark Chapman observed that “the world is at his feet”, former Germany international Jurgen Klinsmann responded: “Absolutely. What a kind of experience he takes with him now.

“And also getting his moment with Messi. Okay, best player in the world! Take that lesson and then move on and he showed that today.

“He shook it off and had a brilliant game again so there’s a lot more to come from Gvardiol.”

Klinsmann also declared: “Gvardiol is one of the big winners of this World Cup.”

Alex Scott predicts big future for Josko Gvardiol

Fellow pundit, former England women’s international Alex Scott, labelled Gvardiol’s potential as “limitless” while praising Croatia for their evolution between 2018 – when they were runners up in Russia – and 2022.

Scott said: “We’ve seen the 20-year-old centre-back again, the performance. His potential is just limitless. We’re seeing every aspect of his game and that’s what you always need.

“Because when we’re talking about teams and experience, and then you have people talking about, ‘no, the youngsters need to come through’, you always need that balance in a squad to blend it out.

“It’s easy for people to say, ‘bring the youngsters through’, but you need that.”

One particularly impressive moment from Gvardiol other than his goal was a charge up the field which culminated in him being brought down in the box, although the referee did not award a penalty.

While running through and making himself an option, Gvardiol proved his power by making it seem like another Liverpool target, Sofyan Amrabat, wasn’t there.

Scott explained: “It’s the power that he just runs at you. You can’t actually stop him.

“Because we’re talking about Amrabat, who’s also had a standout tournament, and the guy just can’t get anywhere near him.

“But he is just a talent that we’re going to see continue to shine.”

Soon, Gvardiol will be taking his talents back to Germany, but it remains to be seen just how long Leipzig can keep hold of him. His contract is due to last until 2027, but they will face serious interest before then.

READ MORE: Chelsea break clear from Liverpool, Man Utd for striker who’ll represent the bargain of a lifetime