An ex-Liverpool midfielder has admitted that he could have done more at the club and says Luis Suarez was 'like a father' to him.
Many players have left Liverpool over the years and gone on to see their careers take a sharp downwards pivot. Philippe Coutinho is perhaps the most famous example of this, joining Barcelona for over £100m, and six years later he is now on loan at Vasco da Gama in Brazil, his boyhood club.
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Jurgen Klopp famously said in 2017, when talking about Coutinho: "I told him stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour. Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here you can be something more."
Luis Alberto makes Reds admission
Luis Alberto, who this summer joined Al Duhail in Qatar, and earned Liverpool some money in the process, made little impact during his time with Liverpool. He managed just nine appearances for the first team, one assist and no goals, and was loaned out twice before signing for Lazio, where he had an extremely successful career.
He recently spoke about his time with Liverpool telling Cronache di Spogliatoio: "In Liverpool the dressing room was beautiful. I could have done more. I could have stayed there, but I was young and I wanted to play, so I went.”
Alberto went on to get 112 goals and assist in the Serie A, and so if he had stayed at Anfield for a bit longer, he definitely could have done ‘more’ than he managed to in his short spell.
Luis Alberto praises Suarez
Whilst some players, like Coutinho or Sadio Mane may have regrets over the timing of their Liverpool exits, Alberto has gone on to shine in Italy, and made the right move for his career.
The Spanish midfielder has also praised the impact Luis Suarez had on him during their time on Merseyside together.
He said: “Suarez was like a father to me there, he is a beautiful person. A phenomenon. I was always with him.
“I didn't play much but I learned, I saw that the Premier League is fantastic in everything, they have an organisation that is the best. We were always at each other's home. Outside the house with him it was impossible to go out.”