Liverpool [UK], May 31 (ANI): Liverpool's Neco Williams recalled the pre-debut pep talk from manager Jurgen Klopp saying that the latter boosted his confidence and took a little weight off his shoulders ahead of the match.

Williams made his first-team debut in October during a match against Arsenal.

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"I knew about a week or so before that I was going to play in the Arsenal game," the club's official website quoted Williams as saying.

"I think the manager could see I was a bit nervous coming into training and thinking about it, so he called me to one side and just said, 'Play your normal game, play as you would play like I was playing for the U23s, play with confidence and there's no pressure on you whatsoever. Him coming over to me and saying that just took kind of a little weight off my shoulders for me to go into that game and play with confidence," he added.

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The 19-year-old also compared the experience of playing in the U-23 side and the first-team saying that for either side, he has to keep the playing standards high.

"Whether it's with the U23s or the first team you've got to keep your standards high. You've got to play the same because if we are playing for the U23s obviously the boss might be watching so you've just got to play the same as you would in any game," he said.

"Playing with the U23s gives you a chance to try to practise and stuff, and try to improve as a player. The game time is the most important thing and you are going to learn either way, if it's the first team or the U23s," Williams added. (ANI)

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