Rickie Lambert has admitted that he could have joined Crystal Palace early on in his time at Liverpool.
The former Southampton striker joined Liverpool in the summer of 2014 after impressing for the Saints during their rise from League One to the Premier League, earning him a place in England's World Cup squad.
But it did not work out for Lambert at Liverpool, having joined Brendan Rodgers' side after the Reds had finished in second place in the Premier League.
The boyhood Liverpool fan spent just one season with the Reds, scoring three goals in 36 games for the Anfield side.
However, he has opened up on how he could have joined Crystal Palace and his former boss Alan Pardew shortly after joining Liverpool, and why he chose not to.
"Pretty early on [Brendan] Rodgers tried to get rid of me to Crystal Palace where [Alan] Pardew was, so I knew I wasn’t ever going to be top priority," he said, speaking in an interview with Bristol Live.
"I said no immediately, why would leave a club like Southampton for years to come to Liverpool and leave after several weeks to go to Palace?
"After that I was in shock, and I didn’t get selected for about three months I think. I didn’t come off the bench, I didn’t touch a ball the whole time."
But despite it not working out for Lambert at Liverpool, with the striker moving on to join West Bromwich Albion in July 2015, he said he does not regret making the move.
"It was amazing to join an amazing club, and despite all that Rodgers was actually a brilliant manager, so it was all set up for me to succeed, but I was devastated not to be able to maximise my stay," he said.
"I am disappointed, but I am grateful I was ever able to put on the Liverpool shirt. I will be proud of that until the day I die."
After his time at Liverpool, Lambert spent one season with West Brom, before joining Cardiff City, where he also played for one season before retiring in October 2017.
