Iago Aspas is back on British shores as he aims to overturn a 1-0 Europa League first leg result for his side Celta Vigo.
The striker joined Liverpool in June 2013 for £8M after a breakthrough two seasons, scoring 35 goals in 69 league appearances as he powered Celta into La Liga and then kept them in the Spanish top flight.
But he joined the reds at just the wrong time as the reds would go on to enjoy one of their best seasons with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge irreplaceable in the side as Liverpool finished runners up in the Premier League.
He made just 6 starts for the reds, with 9 further appearances off the bench.
Speaking to The Guardian he reflected on his time with the reds:
“It was their best year for 10, 15 years, they were close to winning the league. Sturridge scored 21, Luis scored 31, so it’s normal that I didn’t get many chances. It didn’t annoy me; I understood that I couldn’t play with them at that level.
It’s hard, of course: I’d played every game at Celta. But there are times you can’t play and when they win [without you], you know that. You have to take your frustration out on the training ground and the sessions were really good, at least.”
Aspas was also asked about the defining memory of his short Liverpool career - the feeble corner he passed straight to Willian as the reds were hunting to get back into the game against Chelsea as the title charge began to fall apart.
“I suppose it’s because it was my last game and we lost.
It was a great season for Liverpool – one of their best – although I would have liked to have played a bigger part and that corner is the final memory, so it’s their lasting image of me. But in football you can’t forever live in the past. Things keep moving, every day gives you another chance.
Hopefully, for the sake of Celta and because of the happiness it would bring Liverpool fans, we can knock out United and they can have a new image to replace it.”
Iago Aspas is the 4th highest scorer in La Liga this season, ahead of Antoine Griezmann and behind the fearsome three of Messi, Suarez and Ronaldo.
