Emre Can is hoping to emulate Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, by becoming an Anfield great during his time with the club, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The £10million summer signing from Bayern Leverkusen was given the number 23 shirt in the summer – the number last worn by Istanbul hero Carragher.
And Can has revealed he hopes he can do the number justice during his time with the Reds.
“Jamie Carragher is a big-name player,” Can said.
“He wore No.23 and was a legend playing here.
“I want to become a great Liverpool player too and maybe the No.23 can help with that.”
The 20-year-old has made substitute appearances against Manchester City and Tottenham so far this season, and is yet to play a competitive game at Anfield.
He hopes he will get to experience the special atmosphere he witnessed in the 4-0 friendly win over Dortmund in pre-season, when Aston Villa arrive on Merseyside on Saturday.
“The atmosphere at Anfield is exceptional,” Can said.
“Many people around the world know that the stadium has a great atmosphere, and I had heard a lot about it before coming here.
“But the first time you run out at Anfield and experience it, the hair stands up on your neck. It wasn’t my best match, the first one, but there are great matches to come for me.
“You can already see the kind of quality that is in this team. A 4-0 victory like that (over Dortmund) was a good example of what we can achieve.
“There are differences between stadiums in Germany – some are that bit smaller and have less of a buzz among the fans, some of them are a lot bigger and have an incredible atmosphere.
“But Anfield is something else. The fans jump up and down, they cheer throughout. The way they sing, the scarves, it’s the goose bumps again.”
Can admits he is still getting to grips with the English language, in the hope of being able to communicate perfectly with his teammates on and off the pitch.
“Every day together with the team I learn more English,” he said.
“I want to learn perfect English as soon as possible so I have no problems on the pitch or life in general.
“The same applies off the pitch; for example, if you go to a bakery to buy bread, you learn something else again. You’re always learning.
“All of the players have taken me on board and they’ve taken the time to get to know me – that has been really helpful. The coach talks to me a lot and tells me how I can improve.
“It’s very important that he seeks out contact with the players.
“As everyone else has told me, he explained that English football is played at a high tempo and I’ll have to become accustomed to that. But I will and I will get better through that dialogue.”
FFS Emre, of all the footballers, you have to choose a frigging hoofer to emulate.
Jamie might have had some technical issues, but as a Liverpudlian playing for Liverpool, you couldn’t ask for a better commitment.
He was of the old school with uncompromisingly hard tackles that broke up many an attack (and attacker). Every member of the team needs to have the Carra spirit.
Carra was so much more than a hoofer but then how would you ever know?