'I'd love to start in the derby again'
Dominic Solanke feels he has developed since the first Merseyside derby of the season - and the striker would relish the chance to prove as much when Liverpool meet Everton again on Saturday.
Jürgen Klopp handed Solanke just his second Premier League start when the Blues visited Anfield back in December, with that match finishing all square after Wayne Rooney’s late penalty cancelled out Mohamed Salah’s wonderful opening goal.
The 20-year-old has since featured on a further nine occasions for the Reds’ first team, most recently as a substitute in Wednesday’s stunning 3-0 Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Manchester City.
And Solanke believes those appearances, coupled with more time spent at Melwood with his teammates, have helped him grow as a player during the last four months.
“It was my first Merseyside derby and it was good, really. The atmosphere was amazing. I didn’t really know how big it is until I first came, but it was really enjoyable,” the forward told Liverpoolfc.com.
“I’ve played a bit since then so that’s going to help me a lot. Getting the experience and obviously being here longer, training with the boys longer and understanding how everyone plays, I think that’s helped me a lot.
“Definitely [I’d like to start at Goodison Park]. I enjoyed it at Anfield and it’s a big game which everyone wants to play in.
“Playing in the Premier League is always going to be tough and enjoyable.
“In a derby, everything steps up on that day. The atmosphere goes up, the hype goes up, so I think you learn quite a lot and enjoy it.”
Liverpool were left frustrated by Everton’s defensive resilience during the aforementioned 1-1 draw at Anfield.
Solanke believes the Blues may adopt a more attacking approach at Goodison, but is confident Klopp’s team can prosper regardless of how the hosts set up.
“I think it could be a bit different [to the game in December] but as we’re Liverpool it’s always difficult to play against us,” he continued.
“It’s hard to think about what they’ll do but I’m sure we’ll figure out a way to get around it.”