Midfielder thrilled with Liverpool training

Shelvey discusses Rodgers' regime

By Zain Alvi | 11th July 2012

Liverpool youngster Jonjo Shelvey has expressed his delight at the manner in which new manager Brendan Rodgers runs his training sessions.

Shelvey, 20, recently signed a new long-term deal at the club and having worked with Rodgers in training for almost a week now, he is convinced that the boss has the right vision to turn Anfield into a fortress of strong attacking football.

“I think he’s great. With all the passing drills he’s doing, he’s encouraging us to play all the time which is nice for a football player,” Shelvey told Liverpool’s official website regarding Rodgers.

The midfielder added: “Instead of doing a lot of long-distance running and things like that in pre-season, everything has been with a ball, which is more enjoyable. Everyone is enjoying training and looking forward to coming in.

“The gaffer’s also got a big thing about pressing the other teams hard, so I am trying to work on that side of my game as well. Everyone is buzzing because he likes to play football.

“That’s what people want to do and what fans want to see – nice, attractive football. Hopefully we can bring that to Anfield this year.”

Shelvey spent part of last season on loan to Blackpool before returning to Merseyside to score twice in 16 appearances across all competitions.

While he is now enjoying life under former Swansea boss Rodgers, the starlet acknowledges that he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to impress in the latter stages of the last campaign had it not been for the faith of Kenny Dalglish.

“I think going away (on loan) to Blackpool helped me a lot. It gave me some experience, I scored some goals and I came back a better player. Kenny gave me a chance towards the latter stages of the season and I thought I showed what I can do,” he asserted.

Liverpool will leave for their pre-season tour of the United States next week, with matches against Toronto FC, AS Roma, and Tottenham Hotspur awaiting.