Liverpool's Victor Munoz has opened up on the competition for places in the Reds' squad this season and the 'world-class' level of talent at Anfield following the arrival of Bradley Barcola
Bradley Barcola of Liverpool FC prior to the UEFA Champions League match against Atletico Madrid
Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz will compete for a spot in Andoni Iraola's starting XI this year(Image: Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Victor Munoz insists he has no concerns about competing with $164 million signing Bradley Barcola for a starting berth in the Liverpool side this season.
The Spanish World Cup winner maintains that the "world-class" calibre of Andoni Iraola's squad is only to be expected at a club of Liverpool's stature, as the 20-time champions seek to head into the international break on a high with victory at Bournemouth on Sunday.
Munoz joined the Reds in June after his $46.1 million release clause was activated at Osasuna, before Barcola followed him through the door in late August, when the club struck a deal with Paris Saint-Germain for the France international following protracted summer negotiations.
Barcola became the second most expensive signing in Anfield history when he made the switch from PSG at the end of last month. However, La Roja international Munoz insists that top-tier talent is simply the norm at Liverpool, as he spoke candidly about his ambitions for the season in an interview with Spanish outlet AS.
"The fact that the best players come is a warning that we all have to demand more from ourselves," Munoz said, reports the Liverpool Echo.
"For the team, his (Barcola) arrival is very good and we know that the competition forces us to give our best every day in every training session.
"Everyone here is world-class. It is a joy to be able to share training sessions and matches with them. They are all so good that it is impossible for me to choose just one.
Victor Munoz of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match against Nottingham Forest
Victor Munoz has enjoyed a strong start to his Liverpool career(Image: Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
"I feel very loved here in the short time I have been here. Everyone is being exceptional to me and that makes me feel very happy.
"I came with a lot of desire and enthusiasm and hoping that everything would go well. Luckily it is being like this and now it is time to continue in the same way.
"Anyway, I don't think too much about the future and try to take it step by step every day."
Munoz added: "In the short term my goal is to settle in Liverpool and win a title.
"But as in life you have to move forward and look for new goals maybe next year I will be able to tell you something different.
"My thing is perseverance. It is one of my great virtues. I am working day by day, I do not set long-term goals and that, in large part, is what has allowed me to get where I am now."