Summer signing Emre Can wants to be a leader at Anfield moving forward.
Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has told the club’s official website that he would relish a leadership role on the pitch after assistant manager Colin Pascoe labelled him captain material earlier this week.
Can, 21, arrived from Leverkusen in June for a reported £9.75 million fee, per The Guardian, but struggled to break into the line-up over the first few months of the season.
Brendan Rodgers’ recent decision to shift to a 3-4-3 formation, however, has seen the German start on the right-hand side of a back-three for the past 12 games, with the club since going on a nine-match unbeaten Premier League run.
With Can’s performances drawing widespread praise, Pascoe also added, following the club’s 3-2 home win over Tottenham Hotspur, that the Under-21 international could be a future Reds skipper in the making.
“He is young, he is learning his game, but in years to come I am sure he will progress to be one of them,” he told the club’s official website. “He is a leader on the pitch and the way he is playing he has been fantastic.”
Liverpool will be searching for a new captain when Steven Gerrard departs in the summer and, while Can’s age makes him an outside candidate, the club’s breakout star is aiming to become a more central figure in the dressing room moving forward.
“I am only 21 but I am the type of player that talks on the pitch,” he said. “That’s the way I am and I have always been like that.
“I can’t see myself changing; I think it’s just my way that pushes me into taking on a leadership role on the pitch.”
Recent injuries to Gerrard and Lucas Leiva have led to speculation that Can could be moved back into a more familiar midfield role, but he insists he is just pleased to be getting regular minutes at this stage.
“From my point of view, it doesn’t matter where I play, the main thing is to be on the pitch where I can help the team.
“If I can help the team by playing in midfield, then I will play in midfield. If I am needed at the back, I will play in defence.”
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