Nathaniel Clyne has said he wishes he had spent more time on the pitch at Liverpool, but he remains proud to have helped kickstart a new era under Jurgen Klopp. The former England international is now set to continue his career in the United States with Sporting Club Jacksonville.
Two of Clyne's former clubs meet on Sunday afternoon, when Liverpool visit Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace. Clyne spent four seasons with Liverpool, joining shortly before Klopp arrived in 2015.
A frustrating spell on the bench
The right-back made 102 appearances for the Reds, registering seven goal contributions and winning the UEFA Super Cup. However, he fell out of favour and was loaned to Bournemouth, a move he welcomed to find more regular opportunities.
Reflecting on his time on the sidelines in 2019, Clyne said: "I am happy to perform and play 90 minutes. I am looking forward to the rest of the season. I have gone a whole season-and-a-half without really playing consistent football, which is unusual to me because I am used to playing a lot."
He added: "This opportunity has arisen and hopefully I can play as many games as I can and stay injury-free. It is very frustrating. Knowing you are fit and you can go out there and play, but constantly not getting selected for the team is a bit disappointing."
Part of the Anfield revival
Although he departed just before Klopp's side enjoyed significant silverware success, Clyne takes comfort from being involved in the early stages of the revival at Anfield.
Speaking to The Guardian last year, he said: "Yeah, I missed out on that [Premier League title win]. It just makes you more hungry, though. To see the team having success just pushed me to get better, and get back as quickly as I could. All credit to Liverpool for what they achieved, and I'm just glad that I was a part of it."
Asked what working under Klopp taught him, Clyne replied: "Just to keep fighting. You can see he's hungry for the players to play at 100%. That's what he demands from his players: just to give it all on the pitch. That's what I've learned from him: to play with 100% and to play with confidence as well."
Return to Palace and move to the US
Clyne returned to boyhood club Crystal Palace in 2020, and during his second spell the Eagles won the Conference League, FA Cup and Community Shield. He left the club in the summer with 252 appearances to his name.
The 35-year-old is now set to join Sporting Club Jacksonville as he continues his career in Florida.
