**Did you ever imagine it would be like that when you came to Liverpool, that you would build those kinds of relationships? Because, as you say, here’s a dressing room with a lot of big names in it…**
No, not really, to be honest. You see these players as superstars and that’s what they are. You watch them on _Super Sunday_, you watch them on _Monday Night Football_, watch them at World Cups and then when you actually get to know them, they’re great people. I think it’s credit to them guys really, how approachable they are and how good as people they are. That’s also the staff as well. I’ve been to many football clubs, but I’ve never come into a football club where every staff member is just top drawer. I felt when I came into the club I got the exact same treatment as the top players and that was unbelievable for me.
**We’re now a couple of days into our pre-season tour of the USA. How’s it going so far? How are you finding it?**
Amazing. Obviously getting to know the new manager and the coaching staff. Coming out here, I feel like in these pre-season tours you really get to bond as a team and obviously get used to the staff. It’s been tough, it’s been really good and I think it’s exciting. It’s obviously the beginning of the trip but I’m excited for the next couple of days.
**You mentioned it there, but what has it been like working with the new staff?**
It’s been great, it’s been refreshing. It’s opening your eyes to new ideas. Fortunately, now we’ve obviously got the new goalkeeping coach, Alejandro \[Rosalen\], that’s come in and for me personally it’s just another style to learn, a fresh voice and new ideas. I’m a bit of a sponge and I love to learn and try different things and adapt, so I just see this as another opportunity to do that. Just adding more tools to my armoury, really.
**We actually caught you on camera saying ‘Who’d be a goalkeeper?’ after the session on Tuesday... was it a tough one?**
It was a tough one, yeah! It was a lot of up and downs and a lot of diving around and Alejandro definitely put his marker down there for sure! But I love the work. Like I said, I come to AXA every day with a smile on my face because I love just working and grinding. These pre-season trips are all about that so I quite enjoy it.
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**As you say, it is about the work here and it’s about what you guys are doing on the pitch. It is a week of double sessions as well, but what are you doing in between to kind of chill out a bit and relax after them?**
I’m looking after Conor Bradley at the minute, to be honest. We’re going out for our coffees and he’s always asking me to come to his room and have a chat and that. Like I said earlier, it’s just a chance to be amongst friends and chat. We haven’t seen each other in the off-season, so them moments in between training when you get to spend time with the lads, it’s quite fun, to be fair.
**A lot of the players we’ve spoken to so far this summer have spoken about a positive mentality around the place. Is that something you’re picking up on as well?**
Yeah, there definitely is. There’s an energy to us for sure and I think that’s only going to get stronger when the lads come back from the World Cup as well. I think it will just keep building and building. You can definitely feel, especially from day one, there’s a positive energy around and there is a really good, refreshing feel to the place. Let’s hope it will build over the course of the season and we can have a really successful one.
**Just on that, what are your personal ambitions for the forthcoming season?**
Just exactly the same as last year, really: to do everything I can in the role that I do every single day, because I might be called upon at any moment. Last season, I know it sounds crazy, but I was ready for that moment when it was at Everton. I worked all season just because I knew I might just have to play a small role, so that will be my goal again this season. It will just be to train and train and train until that moment comes. When it does come, I know I’ll be well prepared and ready for the moment.