Shaqiri Says He “Expected” Game Time To Be Hard To Come By At Liverpool

Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri has admitted that he would like to be playing more than he is at the moment.

However, the Swiss international says he was “fully aware” of what he was signing up for when he joined from Stoke City in the summer:

“You don’t have to keep me happy! The process has worked well for me so far. Sure, every professional wants to play. I do too, but there are still a lot of games to come.”

“That’s why everything hasn’t been turned upside down overnight. What is happening is exactly what I expected. I decided to move to Liverpool fully aware that I would have a harder time in a club of this standing than, for example, other clubs that tried to help me.”

Since making the £12m move to Anfield in July, Shaqiri has made six appearances in all competitions. The 27-year-old’s first Premier League start came against Southampton, and he had a hand in two of the three goals in the 3-0 win.

Still, Jurgen Klopp was unhappy with his work defensively and he was substituted for tactical reasons at half-time.

Shaqiri was, though, given his second start in the Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea a few days later, before getting another substitute appearance against the Blues during the 1-1 draw in the league.

Since then, the Swiss winger has been an unused substitute in the games versus Napoli and Manchester City.