Moreno tells critics to 'shut their mouth' after staying to fight for Liverpool future

Alberto Moreno insists that he never considered leaving Liverpool and has told his critics to “shut their mouths”.

The Spanish full-back has come in for criticism throughout his time at Anfield, with his defensive qualities questioned following a £12 million move from Sevilla in 2014.

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Moreno was restricted to just 18 appearances in all competitions last season, with Jurgen Klopp favouring James Milner in an unfamiliar left-back role, and the 25-year-old concedes that he found the going tough.

He has, however, seen more regular game time this term and is hoping to make his detractors eat their words and prove that he is worthy of an extended stay at Anfield.

Moreno said: “I couldn’t be happier with the way things are going this season.

“Things were bad over the summer. The word was that I would be leaving and I should not try to stay, but at no point did I agree with that assumption. I wanted to stay. I wanted to fight for my place in the Liverpool team and that is the mindset I had when I came back for pre- season. I wanted to fight for my career and my future at this club.

“It is a club I love and a city I love as well, so all my critics, the people who were saying I should leave, should shut their mouths now I am back in the team.

“Last season was a bad one for me, I spent almost a year without playing many games. It reflected badly on me and my family, because they weren’t having a good time either.

“When I came back this summer I asked for a chat with the manager. I just told him honestly that I wanted to stay and asked him what I could do to win back my place in the side. In return he was very sincere with me, very honest, because he said he couldn’t promise me anything and told me he was signing a new left-back [Andy Robertson].

“But the manager encouraged me to keep working and see how things went in the early part of the season and that is what I did. It enabled me to focus on working hard to get back. I had offers from other clubs but at the forefront of my mind was always that I wanted to stay here.”

Moreno has made eight appearances in all competitions this season, with Robertson now the one having to be patient as he endeavours to force his way into the side and nail down a starting berth.