Video: after his first appearance, Wijnaldum: Al-Ittihad fans reminded me of Liverpool, and this is my promise to them

The Dutch midfielder made his debut with the Tigers

New Al-Ittihad midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has praised the club's fans, insisting they reminded him of former side Liverpool after his first official appearance in the shirt of "the Tigers".

Al-Ittihad beat hosts Al-Faisaly 3-1 on Friday at the Al-Majma'ah Sports City Stadium, in the seventh round of the Roshn League.

Wijnaldum featured for the first time in an Al-Ittihad shirt, coming on as a substitute. The Dutchman joined the club on a free transfer after his contract with previous side Al-Ettifaq expired.

Speaking to "Thmanyah" channels after the match, Wijnaldum said: "It is a new beginning, and I am very happy to play for a club like Al-Ittihad, which has amazing fans, and a wonderful team, coach and staff."

He added: "I was very happy with that, and of course I am also happy with the match, because we won 3-1 in my first game with the team, and that is a good thing."

He went on: "All I can say is that I am very happy, I thank the Al-Ittihad fans for the way they welcomed me, and for this feeling they gave me."

Turning to his old club, he continued: "It reminded me somewhat of Liverpool, where you feel the love from the fans, and then you want to return that love to them, and you want there to be a relationship and communication between you and them inside the pitch, and this is a good start."

He added: "What I can promise the fans is that I will give everything I have physically on the pitch, and we will give everything we have in order to bring the successes back to the club, with this team and this staff."

He concluded: "With the support of the fans it will become much easier, and what I hope for is that we maintain this bond between us, so that I give everything I have on the pitch, in order to achieve beautiful things this season."