- How you doing, mate? - How are you?
Good to see you.
It was the news all Liverpool fans were waiting for
when you finally became one of our players.
You're a confident guy and you've achieved so much in your young career already,
but what about walking into a new training ground for the first time,
was there a little bit of nerves associated with officially becoming a Liverpool player?
Yeah, I think it's more like the feeling when you're new at school,
you need to get used to everything, you don't know anyone,
but with the help of everyone around the club, all the other guys who work here,
it went very quickly, and so far I can't complain obviously.
Give us an insight into how it happens then - are you introduced to the group,
do you walk into the changing room and shake hands with everybody?
I think my first day here I met almost every player.
You introduce yourself.
Obviously then the Everton game, and then after the Everton game we went to Dubai,
so then you get to know everybody much better than you do here,
so basically that helped a lot as well.
This is another place where some of the hard work takes place,
do you enjoy coming into work every day?
No!
Yeah, of course, you can do a lot of worse things in life, but I think is a special place
to come and do your work, enjoy the weather, enjoy your work with the guys here.
The Premier League is getting so fast, the players are getting bigger, stronger,
this is obviously where a lot of that hard work takes place,
do you spend a lot more time than you need to sometimes in the gym,
just making sure you're in tip-top shape?
To be fair, no, if we play a lot of games I'd rather just play some basketball
with a couple of the guys and then prepare for training.
Half an hour before we go outside I just like to clear my head, relax,
because it's heavy, not only physically but mentally as well.
So sometimes you just need to focus on different things.
Talk to us about the basketball then,
this is a competitive side to the players' training, isn't it? Who plays in these games?
I play with Dejan, with Joe Gomez,
sometimes Hendo likes to join in but he's not that good.
Sometimes before training we do free throws until ten.
Yeah, Dejan is competitive, but he's not good enough.
- He's not very good? - No, he's not good.
It's so important that you're close as a group,
this seems the closest group I've seen at Liverpool for many years,
would that be a fair assessment, that you are a tight group of players?
Yeah, for me as well, I felt like that straight away in my first couple of days,
you don't need to be perfect with each other, but to be good with each other,
want to work for each other, want to be there,
tell each other if things are not going well.
Even when we have little setbacks we stick together and keep going and keep working,
so I think that's very important.
Who are you closest to then, who would your best friend be...?
Ha, my best friend...
I'm all right with everyone I think, but obviously I knew Gini before,
I've been playing some basketball with the other guys, Joe,
I like to spend time with Joe as well, he's a cool guy,
and obviously Dejan, Mo, everyone,
it's a great group and everyone is looking out for each other.
Cos it's a young group as well,
we have this feeling that we're at the very start of something that could be...
Hopefully, yeah. Even if we have boxes and the youngest has to go in,
I feel like I'm the oldest almost,
they're so much talent here and hopefully we can keep going for years to come.
So on this pitch as you prepare for games
you're facing probably the best front three in Europe at the moment,
can you give us an insight into how difficult that is?
Yeah, well, obviously I knew it before I joined, I knew what I could face,
but to see them, how they really are in training and even over the games
I've played together with them, it's just unbelievable.
Not only the goals but the hunger to defend and score goals as well,
it's just fantastic,
and I think that's all credit to the coaching staff
and also the rest of the players.
What are they like to face from a defender's point of view, even in a training session?
Yeah, it's just sometimes it can be a nightmare.
Obviously you want to face these guys in training to get better,
but sometimes you think, "Just leave it for the weekend...take it easy."
Our cameras weren't quick enough, Virg,
to see Dejan Lovren shouting off the balcony there,
I was gonna ask you who the biggest joker was in the dressing room,
does he feature in there?
He definitely does feature, yeah. A couple of other guys as well,
Milly loves a joke, Mo loves a joke,
so I think we have a couple jokers in the team, but I think Dejan's trying to be the guy, yeah.
You have to be careful around these guys.
You do, for sure, you need to be on your toes and ready for anything that's possible.
Who's the biggest moaner then, somebody like a moan?
I'd say Dejan as well. He loves a moan as well.
I think he's getting old, so I tell him that as well, as a joke.
Does this place feel like home for you now?
Yes, definitely. I feel set up, obviously there's still more to come, I feel it as well,
I feel it within the group with the other boys, that there's still progress to make.
But, yeah, to feel settled that quickly, it's all credit to everyone around,
the club, the players, the fans, and also my family help with that as well.
So I feel at home, definitely.