Klopp raves about Shaqiri: 'Adapting so well is not normal'

Jurgen Klopp could not believe how good Xherdan Shaqiri was on his Liverpool debut as he revealed the former Stoke City man was so desperate to get started with his new club that he had to be forced to go holiday.

Shaqiri got an assist when teeing up Daniel Sturridge to score with his first touch against Manchester United after coming as a substitute. Liverpool's new recruit then drew gasps of amazement from a crowd of more than 100,000 people inside the University of Michigan stadium with a stunning overhead kick to add a fourth goal.

The acrobatic effort was the icing on the cake as Liverpool trounced their old rivals to secure an early psychological boost ahead of the new Premier League season.

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And Klopp admitting Shaqiri’s display, in an advanced midfield role, was abnormal for a player who has only trained with his new teammates for four days since completing a £13m move.

“That's not normal after four days in the club - adapting that well to the style of play,” Klopp said, still looking a little startled at how easy it had been to overwhelm a depleted Manchester United side in the second half.

“We wanted to help him a little bit with the position so that it's not too complicated, gave him a lot of freedom, offensively playing natural, plus offering runs in behind, which is what he did, especially around the Sturridge goal.

“When he signed for the club, he wanted to start training with us straight away, even though he had not had a holiday after the World Cup. We had to tell him, no, go away for a break and then come back.”

Liverpool flew back to Europe straight after the game for a training camp in France and Klopp is delighted with how things have gone in the USA.

He added: “It was better than I would have expected, to be honest. I think today it was a game where it was quite easy to come in for pretty much all of them because we played over 90 minutes of really good football on a very difficult pitch for both teams.

“We still played simple and quick, kept them moving. After the Dortmund game, I didn't feel really good but I knew I don't have to make it bigger than it is.

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“It's a pre-season game so if you make mistakes you should lose - if you learn from it that's okay. Today we don't make it bigger of course.”

Klopp was also impressed with Sturridge and reiterated that the England striker will be given plenty of chances to force his way back into Liverpool’s long term plans.

“You can see he's enjoying himself in this moment,” Klopp said. “The most important thing is that Daniel stays fit. He only played half an hour today because it's been an intense week and I didn't want to take any risks with him.

“Usually we could say 60 minutes for him would have been okay, but he was so good in the last few weeks for us – so no risk. He was obviously fresh when he came in and enjoyed the game. Together with (Xherdan) Shaqiri, he enjoyed it a lot. Hopefully he will be very important.”

The competition for places up front will be intense, but Klopp likes Sturridge and has always wanted him to succeed at Anfield.

“What kind of role? Daniel decides that,” Klopp added. “From my point of view, we have a fantastic relationship. I like him a lot as a person and as a player especially. When I came to Liverpool I was excited about working with Daniel Sturridge.”