'I don't belong here' - Liverpool legend admits fighting for SURVIVAL at Anfield
Adam Lallana initially joined Liverpool from Southampton for £25 million back in 2014, going on to make 178 appearances for the Reds and scoring 22 goals.
The England international played his part in Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup wins during his six-year stay at Anfield, establishing himself as a favourite of Jurgen Klopp in attacking midfield.
Injuries ultimately restricted the impact of Lallana throughout his time at the club and, having won the top-flight title in 2020, he left at the end of his contract to join Brighton.
Adam Lallana Jurgen Klopp
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Signed by Brendan Rodgers after the 2014 World Cup, until that point Lallana had spent the majority of his career in the lower leagues, representing boyhood club the Saints in the Championship and League One.
He stepped up well to Premier League level, first with Southampton and then with Liverpool, becoming a regular when fit in Klopp’s all-conquering teams.
Lallana has now opened up on the difficulty he had adjusting to life at Liverpool, believing he wasn’t good enough to play for the club upon joining from the south coast side.
Training every day with club legends like Steven Gerrard was a challenge, he admits, but adds that perseverance was the key to getting through those difficult first moments.
“I don't even really remember being different or a standout player,” he tells Brighton’s official YouTube channel. “I always remember having insecurities.
“I remember my first year at Liverpool I was like: ‘I don't belong here.’
“I remember thinking: ‘I need to somehow survive this first year at Liverpool’ because I felt like I didn't belong.
“I was speaking to Hinch's [Jack Hinshelwood] Dad out there today about how sometimes lads from Saints [Southampton], Brighton and the ‘nice clubs’ turn up for England international duty.
“Around all the big players from London teams, they struggle to be themselves because it can be overwhelming with the big boys there, earning more money.
“There was a little bit of that Liverpool with me coming from Southampton. I was rubbing shoulders with Stevie G [Gerrard] in the dressing room.
“I struggled training with Stevie G because it was Stevie G. I'm honest to say: ‘I'm not sure I belong here’.
“It took time for me to adjust and adapt to being around that, - day in, day out - and it was just the hard work that literally made me survive there.”
Nottingham Forest v Brighton and Hove Albion - Premier League - City Ground Brighton and Hove Albion Manager, Roberto De Zerbi, right interacts with Brighton and Hove Albions Adam Lallana ahead of the Premier League match at the City Ground, Nottingham. Picture date: Wednesday April 26, 2023. EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or live services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUKxIRL Copyright: xMikexEgertonx 71910481
Klopp paid a fond tribute to Lallana when he left the club in 2020, describing him as a club legend.
“He is one of the most influential players on the training quality I have ever had in my life,” he told the club’s official magazine.
“He is an incredible professional. So he is one of the most important players of the time since I am here so I wish him only the best for the future.
“From my point of view he is already a legend here, so he can become a legend somewhere else from next season on.”
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