Clyne: Flanno looks like he's never been away
Nathaniel Clyne has heaped praise on fellow full-back Jon Flanagan after his star turn in Wednesday's 3-0 victory over Manchester City at Anfield.
The Scouse defender made just his third start since returning from a 20-month spell on the sidelines as the Reds faced an immediate rematch with the team who had denied them Capital One Cup glory at the weekend.
He again impressed too, shackling Raheem Sterling on the right flank while showing plenty of endeavour going forward when given the opportunity, as he helped the hosts avenge their Wembley disappointment.
Clyne has been pleasantly surprised with what he has seen from Flanno since his return, and believes having a worthy rival to his position can only be a good thing going forward.
"He was quality," the No.2 told Liverpoolfc.com.
"He was up against a tough player in Raheem but he had him in his pocket and he stuck into him well and had a good game.
"[I’ve been] very impressed. For a player who has been out for so long, he’s come back [and looked] like he’s never been away really.
"His performances have been quality and he’s getting back to match fitness, which is good for the club to have more competition for places."
Jürgen Klopp's decision to include Flanagan in his starting XI meant Clyne was moved to the unfamiliar position of left-back against Manuel Pellegrini's men.
But the defender was as solid as ever up against the spritely Jesus Navas, and says he has no qualms about filling in on the opposite flank whenever needed.
"I’ve played in that position before and it’s the same [in any] full-back position, just on the other side," he added.
"I think if I’m going to play there more I’ll have to practice on my left foot more! But I’m happy to play there for the team."
Clyne also expressed hope that the nature of the win over City can act as a springboard for the remainder of the season in both the Barclays Premier League and Europe.
"It was a quality performance. Right from the kick-off we were right at them, and didn’t give them any time or space on the ball," he enthused.
"We were solid defensively and good going forward, as you could see from us scoring three goals and getting the clean sheet. It was a well-deserved victory.
"You can see that we bounced back straight away a couple of days after the cup final. To show that we could beat them as well as we did was really good.
"We’ve still got a lot of games left to play, a lot of points to play for, and there are still places up for grabs in the league that we can try to push for.
"We’ve also got the Europa League coming up to look forward to."