Sean O’Driscoll relishing Liverpool challenge

Sean O’Driscoll has spoken of his joy at “joining one of the world’s most iconic football clubs” after the former Republic of Ireland international was confirmed as Liverpool’s new assistant manager yesterday.

The former Bournemouth, Doncaster, Crawley, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City boss moves to Anfield after a spell in charge of England U19s.

The 58-year-old takes over as Brendan Rodgers’ number two from Colin Pascoe, who was sacked last month following a robust end-of-season review.

Liverpool have also announced that Academy boss Pep Lijnders will step up to a newly-created role of first team development coach.

Both men began work as Liverpool returned to their Melwood base for the start of pre-season training yesterday.

O’Driscoll said: “I am excited to be joining one of the world’s most iconic football clubs.

“The hallmark of any successful club is its culture and that comes from the people who work there, from the chief executive and first-team manager to those people behind the scenes whose faces may not be known but who are the lifeblood of the club.

“From the moment I drove into Melwood last week and was greeted by Kenny the gate man, I could not have been made to feel more welcome.”

Rodgers said O’Driscoll’s professionalism and vision will make him a big asset.

“My admiration for Sean, as a professional, is well documented,” he said. “He is someone with a clear vision and philosophy and has proved he has the ability to transfer that knowledge, through his coaching, to the players.

“I am looking forward to working with him and also learning from his experiences and gaining valuable knowledge from his expertise.”

Meanwhile, James Milner has revealed that Rodgers was a major factor in his move to Anfield.

“He was a massive part, to be honest,” he said. “The club doesn’t need a lot of selling about what a great club it is, with all the history, the support and the squad they have.

“But speaking to the manager and what his plans were for me, things I’ve heard about him from other players. I was speaking to Stevie (Gerrard) at England and people like that and what he said to me made me want to come and play for him straight away.”

Milner added: “Obviously Liverpool came so close a couple of years ago to winning the league and being up against them in that title run-in, it felt like the whole world wanted them to win the league.

“That shows the love for the club and the global respect for the team.

“Hopefully, my experience can help us get into that position again.”