Kostas Tsimikas believes he is in good shape to challenge 'the best left-back in the world' Andy Robertson for more playing time this season.
Signed from Olympiacos for £11.75m last summer, the Greece international managed just five minutes of Premier League action across the entirety of 2020-21.
Covid-19 and a knee injury partly account for Tsimikas' lack of action, though Robertson's consistency in terms of form and availability were the main causes.
However, the 25-year-old is confident that he can make a bigger impact under Jurgen Klopp this year after making improvements to his game towards the back end of last term.
He told Liverpoolfc.com: “I am very happy to be back with the boys, everything is very good.
"Training is really hard and really intense, but this will help us a lot for the next games. We start with friendly games and we continue working very hard together.
“The first six months were very difficult for me because I had Covid and two injuries, but the second half of the year was very good and I trained very hard in coming back from the injuries.
"Now I am more ready and in good shape to give everything for the team and help them to achieve our goals.
“I know I have to challenge the best left-back in the world. This gives me the power to do my work well every day, to continue working hard and to continue to be as good as I can."
“My target for next season is to stay healthy, first of all, and after to play more games and help my team.”
As a result of long-term injuries that ensured they missed the majority of last season, Tsimikas has started just once alongside either Joe Gomez or Virgil van Dijk - playing 45 minutes next to the latter in a League Cup win at Lincoln.
And the Greek is delighted to see both players return to training this week after a gruelling period of rehabilitation.
“We are very happy for these two boys,” he added. “They are looking very good after their injuries and I hope for the best for them.
“I hope those injuries will be their last and the team needs them a lot. Hopefully they will bounce back again.”
