Klopp stepped in to offer Liverpool debut to young star who cried at Barcelona
Sergi Canos was one of the first players handed a Liverpool debut by Jurgen Klopp, but the winger had to come through some tough times on Barcelona's books before making that breakthrough.
Canos was out on loan at Brentford when Klopp took over from Brendan Rodgers midway through the 2015-16 season, but returned to his parent club ahead of their season-ender at West Brom and was handed a late run-out by the German boss. That would prove to be his only top-flight outing in Liverpool colours, but he would return to the Premier League years later with Brentford, scoring in a famous win against Arsenal.
Now 26, Canos is back in Spain after leaving Brentford for Valencia over the summer, and credits his time in England for helping his development as a footballer. It's a far cry from the challenges he experienced as a teenager after leaving home to join Barcelona's academy.
He has admitted to calling his father in tears during those early days at La Masia, only to keep going and eventually join Liverpool at 16. Ahead of Los Che's trip to Cadiz on Sunday, the well-travelled star has opened up on how his time in England set him up for his career after those difficult early days.
"When I started with Barça, I was 13 years old," Canos told the latest edition of the LALIGA Talks podcast, out on Thursday. "I went to Barça and after the first two training sessions, I called my dad crying and asking him to come and pick me up because I was not good enough to be with the players there.
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"He never came to pick me up. It was a good move from him to leave me there... He knew that I had to overcome that situation.
"I think if you don't face bad situations and you don't overcome those situations, it’s hard," he added. "He always said that he was thinking about other things too.
"He didn't want me to become a footballer at 13 years old. He wanted me to stay calm and overcome that situation because I was good enough to be there at that moment in time."
What are your memories of Sergi Canos in England? Have your say in the comments section
Sergi Canos was handed his Premier League debut by Jurgen Klopp in 2016 (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Canos has spent the bulk of his career in Brentford colours, racking up more than 250 senior appearances for the London club across two stints. He made 36 of those appearances in the Premier League, scoring three times, but returned to Spain after featuring less frequently under Thomas Frank last season and spending half of the campaign on loan at Olympiacos.
During his appearance on LALIGA Talks, which releases new episodes every fortnight including interviews with a current player, pundit or special guest, Canos was asked about the differences between the English and Spanish football setups. He has already got off the mark for Valencia, scoring the winner against Rayo Vallecano in the league and equalising in a Copa del Rey game at Cartagena as Ruben Baraja's team avoided an upset.
"I was lucky, as I said, that I was at FC Barcelona for three years then I went to Liverpool," Canos continued. "I would say that I grew up in England and my football is more that type of football, but because I was at Barça for three years I will enjoy LALIGA a lot.
"The most difficult experience I think was playing in the Championship for five years. I think those five years made me the player that I am today.
"It's not easy to play in Championship. And everyone that has played there knows what the division is like,
"I think it's a very intense and difficult league to play in with a lot of games. Many teams in that division could play in the Premier League. Perfectly so, in my opinion. And I those five years made me the player that I am."
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Canos is now back in Spain with Valencia after several years at Brentford (Omar Arnau/REX/Shutterstock)Liverpool boss Klopp has continued to trust in youth this season, just as he did with the likes of Canos back in 2015-16. Jarell Quansah and James McConnell were both given Premier League bows this season, while there have been maiden Europa League outings for Luke Chambers, Callum Scanlon and Kaide Gordon during the run to top spot in the group stage.
“[The manager] just said to enjoy it," Chambers told club media after Klopp handed him a debut against Toulouse "He said there was no pressure, just go out and play how I usually play.
“As a young player, that’s what you strive for, opportunities. I’m hungry for more, so hopefully more will come.”
Canos was once one of those youngsters thrown in at the deep end. Eight years on, he's all the better for it.
Listen to Sergi Canós’ episode of LALIGA Talks on , and from Thursday 11th January
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