Darby wants first-team place

Liverpool reserves captain Stephen Darby is eager to break into the senior squad after playing a prominent part in the pre-season campaign.

Youngsters Darby and Jay Spearing are one of the best players in the reserve team for Liverpool and featured in their reserves cup triumph last season.

Liverpudlian Jamie Carragher also backed the duo to shine. Carragher himself will be vying for the right-back slot in the first team.

“It’s hard to get into the team because the standard is so high and the manager is bringing players in not just from this country but from around the world,” Darby told the official website.

“That makes the competition tougher but I’m enjoying getting games during pre-season and hopefully I’ve shown the manager what I can do.” he added.