Enrique prepared for Reds first team battle

After being a substitute for the game against Manchester City a couple of weeks ago, there were some rumours that Jose Enrique’s time at Anfield could be coming to an end. However, the former Newcastle defender insists that he is very happy at the club and enjoys the competition that is associated with his position.

Enrique joined the club from the Magpies in a deal said to be worth £7m last summer and made an instant impression. After just several months he was included in ESPN’s Premier League Best XI for the first half of the campaign, while he also finished the season strongly after helping the club lift the Carling Cup trophy.

However, despite a promising start, the full back has struggled slightly more for football under Rodgers. He started the game against City on the bench, while he has also seen some surprise competition in the form of Stewart Downing. Despite playing the majority of his career as a winger, Brendan Rodgers has starting utilising the former Middlesbrough man in a more defensive position and this has obvious affected Enrique.

For now, the 26-year-old remains happy with life at Anfield though. He told the press, “It’s [competition] a good thing because before there was just myself and Jack Robinson. I want to play here for as many years as I can and play as many games. I hope to be like Carra but that would be really difficult. I want to stay here because it’s an amazing club and every player dreams of being here. I’ve played in English football for five years and it’s amazing to play here.”
However, with the Reds being comfortably beaten in their last outing against Arsenal, it remains to be seen whether or not Rodgers will keep the faith and select Enrique for the club’s next game against Sunderland.