€7m star blasts: I 'needed' to quit LFC because it was killing my 'confidence'. Loss...?

Over the summer, many LFC fans were surprised that Brendan Rodgers sanctioned the sale of Jonjo Shelvey, a midfielder in the Steven Gerrard mould with massive future potential. The decision hasn't really affected the Reds, but to be fair, the main impetus to leave seems to have come from Shelvey rather than Liverpool.

In his 3 years at the Liverpool, Shelvey managed only 31 starts for the club, and even now, it's clear that the lack of regular opportunities rankles with him.

In an interview this week, Shelvey - who cost Swansea €7m over the summer - insisted that he has 'no regrets about joining Liverpool', but revealed that he'd grown unhappy with his treatment at Anfield. He told The Guardian:

"I wasn't enjoying my football. I never got that run of games, or run of consistency, to show what I could do. I wanted to play. It's hard to go in and come back out, your confidence goes and you start to feel: 'Am I not good enough? It was a big decision to leave but I needed to do it for myself".

Shelvey is certainly getting a run of games for Swansea. So far, he's made 22 appearances for the Swans, and contributed 3 goals and 3 assists, which compares favourably with Jordan Henderson's return for Liverpool this season. His comments betray some (understandable) resentment towards Liverpool for not giving him more game time, but overall, he has a great attitude to the game, as the following comment proves:

"People were telling me 'You're only young, you're getting paid all that money, you should be happy sitting on the bench at Liverpool'. Well, I wasn't. I'd rather take the money away and play football. That's the way I am."

I like Shelvey as a player. I love the fact that he's self-confident, and is not afraid to take responsibility on the pitch. He doesn't hide, and seemingly has no fear, as evidenced by his willingness to give Alex Ferguson a mouthful after he got sent off against Man United:



Shelvey, however, regrets that altercation:

"To this day, I still don't think it was a sending off. The only regret I have is doing what I did to Sir Alex (Ferguson) that day, when I pointed and shouted at him - I was obviously emotional"

Earlier this season, Shelvey put in an outstanding performance in Swansea's 2-2 draw with Liverpool. Despite making two massive errors that led to LFC goals, he displayed great mental strength to recover from that, keep his head, and play well for the rest of the game. He (arguably) overshadowed Gerrard on the day, and displayed a truly sublime range of passing.

Unfortunately for Shelvey, he arrived at a time of extreme turmoil for Liverpool, and then went on to feature under FOUR different managers. There was no real stability during his time at the club, which possibly explains (in part) why he never got a consistent run of games.

If Shelvey had stayed, would he be getting a run in the team right now, or would Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson be favoured ahead of him? Given the way the team is playing/set-up, I believe he could've flourished, but I personally doubt Rodgers would've played him over Henderson, who is clearly one of his favourites.

Competition in the centre of Liverpool's midfielder is already intense, and if Shelvey had stayed, he probably would've found himself on the bench more often than not, so he clearly made the right decision to leave.

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Author: Jaimie K