LEAVE LIVERPOOL? NO , I’M LEARNING FROM THE BEST
Dragons hero Williams insists he gets more from trying to stop Salah and Mane in training than he would by moving clubs
BY DAVID MADDOCK and CHRIS McKENNA
KOP kid Neco Williams says leaving Liverpool would be bad for his game – because shackling Sadio Mane and Mo Salah in training is the toughest challenge in football.
Williams, who gave a manof-the-match performance for Wales against Belgium in midweek, is operating in the shadow of Trent AlexanderArnold at Anfield.
His national team boss Rob Page suggested he might even consider a Merseyside exit in a bid for more firstteam action, but Williams is having none of it.
The 20-year-old defender, who signed a five-year deal with the Reds in 2020, said: “When I signed my contract, the main thing was to improve as a player.
“And when I’m coming up against Mo Salah and Sadio Mane every day in training, it’s going to make me a better player. I feel like I have matured in my game, especially with Salah and Mane running at me.
“It is hard every day, but it’s going to make me a better player and I feel like it definitely has helped me.
“I’m learning from them, from my battles with them, so I’m enjoying it.”
The Wrexhamborn right-back made his Liverpool debut in that dramatic 5-5 League Cup draw with Arsenal at Anfield just over two years ago.
His Premier League debut came the following June, after the pandemic break, against Crystal Palace.
Williams won plaudits for his displays in the international break, with manager Page hailing him as “outstanding,” and Wales fans (below) were astonished his levels.
Page said afterwards he wouldn’t be disappointed if several of his team decided to move on from their clubs in January to ensure they play more often before a potential visit to the World Cup finals next year.
But though Williams looks resigned to playing understudy to AlexanderArnold at Anfield for some time to come, he said he will be happy as long as his game continues to improve.
“Salah and Mane are starting most games for Liverpool so to play against them near enough every day feels great because it’s going to help me as a player,” he said. “Normally a day before a game we’ll do an 11 v 11, with the starting team taking on the rest, so I am learning, and I am enjoying it.”
While Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is well off for right-backs, he is struggling to fill his midfield for tomorrow’s home clash against Arsenal.
Skipper Jordan Henderson facing a fight to be fit after he picked up an injury on international duty which forced him to be sent home.
The 31-year-old has trained this week but worried Klopp said the Arsenal game might come too soon.
Fellow midfielders James Milner, Naby Keita and Curtis Jones have already been ruled out and Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino still has a hamstring problem.
Full-back Andy Robertson came off early during Scotland’s win over Denmark this week but should be fit.
And Mane, who scored in Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat of Arsenal in the corresponding fixture last season, has recovered from the rib injury he picked up while playing for Senegal.