Rickie Lambert: 'I deserve to be a Liverpool player'

Rickie Lambert believes that he fully deserves his place in the Liverpool squad after making a surprise move to Merseyside from Southampton earlier this month.

The Reds are said to have parted with £4m to bring Lambert, who is a lifelong Liverpool supporter, to Anfield.

The 32-year-old began his youth career with the Reds, but spent a large amount of his time in the lower leagues with Stockport County and Bristol Rovers before moving to Southampton in 2009.

"It wasn't a chance I was expecting to get but I've been given it now and I want to get out there that I believe I am good enough and that I will perform and that I will help Liverpool," Lambert told the club's official website.

"And as much as it's a whirlwind that is happening for me at the minute with the way my career has gone, I want to make it clear that I feel I deserve to be here and what I've done deserves me to be here right now."

Widespread reports have claimed that Lambert's former teammate Adam Lallana could join the ex-Southampton forward at Liverpool after the World Cup.