Jurgen Klopp has praised Adam Lallana as "one of the best players I ever worked with" as the former Liverpool midfielder prepares for an Anfield return.
Lallana, who scored 22 goals in 178 appearances for the Reds before moving to Brighton last summer on a free transfer, is expected to feature for the Seagulls in Saturday's Premier League clash.
While signed by Brendan Rodgers, it was under Klopp that Lallana became an influential squad member and claimed winners' medals in the Champions League, Premier League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
And asked if the midfielder had set the standard at the beginning of his Liverpool reign, Klopp said: "Not only at the start, but until the end! I miss Adam still, to be honest.
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"We don't have plenty of sessions during the week because we play that often, but Adam set the standard from the first day until the last day.
"It was really impressive. What I loved about him, a footballer player with the technical skills he has and then this working mentality, is really rare.
"If Adam would have been a little bit less often injured, it could have been still on another level even though it was already great.
"He is one of the best players I have ever worked with. Absolutely incredible person as well. I am really looking forward to seeing him again."
Lallana was part of the Brighton side that won 1-0 at Anfield last season having held the Reds to a 1-1 draw on the South Coast earlier in the campaign.
Only Everton and Manchester City have beaten Graham Potter's team this season over 90 minutes, but Klopp believes there were enough signs in the 4-1 home defeat to City last weekend to give Liverpool reason to be on their guard.
“City were good but two goals were counter-attacking goals and the possession was 52:48," he said.
"That's a big one for Brighton, a football-playing side and not just playing football they are a real threat. They defend well, although they didn't score yet big amounts. To keep the ball against City is a really difficult thing to do and they did it.
"We know what they are capable of but we are not City and we play slightly differently and that is what we want to do as well, we want to cause them problems."
Klopp, though, has pinpointed a significant difference between Saturday's game at Anfield and the one Brighton won back in February.
"Yes, we lost the last game against them so that's another warning sign – not that I needed it," said the Reds boss.
"The difference will be Anfield will be packed and that helps us usually. This is not a game where you dominate the opponent, they will have their moments and we have to run a lot, close gaps and be spot-on defending-wise.
"I couldn't respect more what Graham is doing there, I'm a big admirer of his work. It was always difficult since he was there and he is a top-class manager."
