Ronald Araujo has revealed his surprise at the scale of Liverpool after joining on loan from Barcelona, while insisting he is happy to continue at right-back for the Champions League clash with Villarreal.
The Uruguay international, 27, has scored once and assisted once in the competition this season, having previously managed just one goal contribution in 35 appearances. He headed the opener in the win over LASK and set up Dominik Szoboszlai's equaliser against Atletico Madrid.
Adapting to a New Role
Araujo is expected to keep his makeshift right-back spot against Villarreal on Tuesday evening, with Jeremie Frimpong joining Conor Bradley on the sidelines. The defender said the role is not new to him.
"It's not a problem as I'd already played there a few times (for Barcelona)," he said. "When I made the decision to come here I knew it was one of the possibilities to play as a right-back, so it's not something different for me."
He added: "Ultimately I try to give everything I can no matter what position I am in, no matter what the manager asks of me. I'm not going to deny I don't feel more comfortable at centre-back but at the end of the day it's not a difficult position for me (at right-back)."
Anfield's Grandeur and Fan Support
The defender has been struck by the size of Liverpool since his arrival in August. "It surprises me because you know how big Liverpool are but when you get here and see the dimension of this club, the structure, the fans, you know it's a gigantic team," he said.
"Coming to Liverpool, it's not easy. There are those demands, that responsibility. Personally I'd already experienced that in Barcelona, where you have to give your best in every game."
He added: "I'm very happy because I've been welcomed not just by the people at the club but the fans. I am very grateful to them. I want to give back to them by giving everything in training and every match."
Transfer Future and Villarreal Threat
Liverpool hold an option to make the loan permanent for £47million, but Araujo is not looking beyond the present. "It's very early to talk about these things," he said. "I'm just trying to enjoy every day, continue to grow and develop every day to have that confidence."
He knows Villarreal well from his time in Spain, where he earned five wins in seven meetings against them. "They are a good team where if you give them the ball they will have a lot of possession, the second team after Barcelona that has the highest level of possession, so that tells you the type of players they have," he said.
"But we have our players, we are playing at Anfield and we have our identity and we have to give everything from the first minute and impose ourselves on the game. If we do we can come away with a victory."
Mentoring Liverpool's Youngsters
Araujo, formerly Barcelona's club captain, is keen to pass on his experience to Liverpool's young players. "I am learning English and I'm going to learn quicker than I thought!" he said. "I can bring things to the team, what I am, what I know, even if I say it in Spanish."
"But in football there's a universal language where if you shout at someone you say it in the same way. We have wonderful young players. In the game I say to Jeremy (Jacquet) and Rio (Ngumoha) 'well done' in English, we have (Lewis) Koumas and we have other youngsters who bring a great deal to the team. They can bring a great future to the club which is the most important thing."
