Alberto Moreno has revealed how hard he has had to work to win back his place at Liverpool.
The left-back's form has seen him win a first call to the Spain squad this week.
Moreno recalled: "If I talk to you about last year, it's all bad words. I was reaching a point where in my head it was saying to me: 'Alberto, whatever you do is not going to be useful at all'. I trained well and did not play, I did things well and did not play.
"I was wondering: 'Alberto, what can you do?' Nothing more. At the end of the year it is true that many offers came out, but in my head I was not leaving Liverpool: the only thing I wanted was to stay. And staying meant working hard. And that's what I've done: work. There has been a very, very big change and now I have to take advantage of the moment."
Even the start of preseason offered Moreno little hope.
"I spoke with him (Jurgen Klopp) at the beginning of the preseason and he told me that he could not promise me anything: he could not promise me minutes and he could not promise I'd play. He was sincere and explained to me that they had (James) Milner as a fullback, although now he is not playing there, and that they were going to sign another left-back (Andy Robertson, from Hull City).
"So what I thought was: 'Alberto, here they do not count on you. But we are going to work, we are going to gain the confidence of the coach again, whatever happens'.
"And it was what I did. I played good games and he started talking good about me and giving me confidence. And so it is to this day."
Source: tribalfootball.com