Shaqiri’s so good he could gatecrash Klopp’s star trio

MOST training sessions are quickly forgotten. During the course of your career, you will spend thousands of hours practising drills to the point that you are almost on autopilot.

There are, however, mornings that stay in your mind forever, those times when somebody did something out of the ordinary. When I think about Xherdan Shaqiri, I will always remember the day he introduced himself to us at Stoke in the most remarkable fashion.

I knew all about Shaqiri before Stoke signed him. I’d been aware of him at Inter Milan and Bayern Munich and I was, to put it mildly, pleasantly surprised that he arrived in the Potteries.

Shaq, as we got to know him, scored a hattrick in a five-a-side game. You might think there is nothing unusual about that but when I tell you one of his goals involved him chipping the goalkeeper from about eight yards, you will appreciate why this stayed in my mind.

He did other things that marked him out as different. It was the way he passed the ball, the pace he put on his passes and the quality of the free-kicks he struck. After that first session, I was convinced we had signed a star in the making.

To see him thriving for Liverpool, then, comes as no surprise to me. When he got his move to Anfield in the summer, I said to a few of the lads in our dressing room that he would go there and rip it up and that is what he has been doing over the last few weeks.

People say it is impossible to break up Liverpool’s three-man attack of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane when they are all fit but if anyone is going to do it, Shaqiri can. In terms of ability, he is up there with the best I’ve played with. Trust me, he can be whatever he wants to be.

This can’t just be an article, though, that concentrates on the positives. It was important to talk about his first training session because what happened afterwards took us all by surprise.

In many respects, Shaqiri (left) got lost in his first few months at Stoke and he found English football a culture shock. It really did take him a long time to adjust. He needed 17 appearances before he scored for the first time and his first season at our club saw him end with as many goals (three) as he did bookings. There was an improvement in his second year but only marginally, with his tally standing at four.

Last season was much better but, again, it was not without issues. He scored nine goals but it didn’t stop us going down and it led to him being criticised — from within the dressing room and by pundits who questioned his work rate. Did he go missing

in terms of tracking back to help the defence? The honest answer is yes. I think he felt he needed to be the man who scored and created goals, particularly after Marko arnautovic had moved on, but Shaq didn’t always do what he needed to at the other end.

There is no escaping the fact that it was a difficult 12 months but I wasn’t in the least bit surprised Liverpool took advantage of his release clause. For someone with his ability, £ 13million is a bargain in this day and age and I’m only surprised that more clubs didn’t register an interest. I know he is going to have a big season. I saw the ball he slipped in to Salah at huddersfield last week and the pass he played against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League. These showed me he has found his feet.

Maybe the difficulties he experienced at Stoke have helped the penny drop. he is playing for a manager now in Jurgen Klopp who will not tolerate anyone who shirks their defensive duties and if Shaqiri adds that to his game, he will be an exceptional talent.

You need belief in yourself to thrive at anfield and that is something he has got in abundance. Nobody has ever doubted his talent and now it seems he is maturing. Perhaps he appreciates what an opportunity he has been given.

Liverpool look the real deal this season. They are so dynamic and so exciting and their squad is primed to push for the biggest trophies.

Shaqiri might just be the man who provides the final ingredient to the team. he is genuinely special — it’s up to him to prove it.