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Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique has said that the club have alienated him along with strikers Fabio Borini and Mario Balotelli, The Guardian reports. However, the Spaniard vowed to fight for his place in the team and believes the club are equal to Manchester United.
The 29-year-old, who signed for Liverpool in 2011 after spending four seasons with Newcastle United, is entering the final year of his contract at Anfield and was not part of the club’s pre-season tour.
I want to stay and fight at Liverpool: Enrique
“I’m in a difficult position,” Enrique said. “The club have alienated Balotelli, Borini and me. I have a year left on my contract and I imagine the club will want to sell.”
Teenager Joe Gomez was preferred to Enrique in Liverpool’s season opener against Stoke City which they won thanks to a brilliant long-range goal from Philippe Coutinho. He stated though that he has no intentions of leaving Merseyside and will be fighting to earn his place back in the starting eleven.
“I still want to stay and fight as I always have. I will not give up. I know from experience that football changes from day to night,” Enrique said.
He has featured in only 76 Premier Leagues for Liverpool in his four years with the club and has found chances hard to come by after undergoing surgery for a serious knee injury in 2013. Enrique feels that he has recovered completely now and is hopeful that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“I feel fine after two years with knee discomfort,” he said. “Plus in the squad here we only have one pure left-back [Alberto Moreno] and I know that if I stay I’ll play. I want to prove that some are wrong.”
Enrique came through the youth ranks at Levante and enjoyed spells with Valencia, Celta Vigo, and Villareal before making his move to England. He said that a move back to La Liga was on the cards, but the economic condition in Spain proved as a deterrent.
Only Real Madrid and Barcelona can pay similar wages to England: Enrique
“I had a very good option to return to Spain, but [it] is complicated because the economy is very different from what exists here. The only teams that can deal with what is paid in England are Real Madrid and Barcelona, so I would love to stay here until my legs stop me,” he said.
Enrique also added that a move away from Anfield will be a step down in his career.
“What I think is that I will not play in a team better than this,” he said. “Liverpool are a match for Manchester United.”
