Lallana eyes goals with England

07 October 2014 04:31

Adam Lallana is determined to "step up" and start scoring for England on the back of his maiden Liverpool strike.

The 26-year-old ended a memorable 14-year spell at Southampton in the summer in search of Champions League football, joining Liverpool in a £25million deal.

A knee injury was an unfortunate early setback, although Lallana has flourished since recovering from that, netting his first Reds goal in Saturday's 2-1 defeat of West Brom.

It was a "special feeling" full of different emotions for the attacking midfielder, who is determined to follow that up by breaking his England duck in the upcoming European Championship qualifiers.

"I think I need to make that step up," Lallana said. "I mean, the type of player I am I have always chipped in with goals throughout my career.

"I feel with England I need to step up and nip in with a fair few of my own, like at club level.

"It is something I want to add to my game and add to what I do when I play for England."

This week certainly offers Lallana a decent opportunity to do that, with Sunday's trip to Estonia following a home clash against a San Marino side ranked 208th in the world - joint-bottom with Bhutan.

Those matches also offer the Reds midfielder a chance to re-establish himself as a starter under Roy Hodgson.

A regular in the line-up ahead of the World Cup, Lallana began the first two matches in Brazil from the bench before starting the dead-rubber against Costa Rica.

"Being a fresh season, a fresh campaign, I am always looking to impress in training and for my club now, Liverpool," Lallana said.

"We have got a lot of talented players. There is always competition for places out there, so I am hungry to do well and impress."

While Lallana looks to nail down a starting berth, long-time friend Rickie Lambert could do with a morale-boosting goal.

The 32-year-old has not scored in eight appearances for Liverpool, although Lallana is confident he will soon show the scoring form that persuaded his boyhood club to sign him.

"I still have to pinch myself that we are both playing for Liverpool," Lallana said of the man who came through the leagues with him at Saints.

"It is a great journey we have been on and it has been difficult for him because he has not had the regular games which he would have at Southampton.

"But I can assure you he is working so hard to get himself back to 100 per cent sharpness. It is coming, he is gradually getting there, and I am sure his first goal is not too far away."

Lallana and Lambert are part of a six-strong group of current or former Saints players in the England squad, including the uncapped Nathaniel Clyne and teenager Calum Chambers.

The latter moved to Arsenal in the summer, but Lallana believes their competition for the right-back slot at St Mary's last season has led to these call-ups.

"Those two last season were kind of fighting it out at right-back," he said. "It did them both the world of good, I think, having that competition there.

"They've both come on to be top right-backs and they're both very young. It is very promising for England.

"You always knew that Calum and Clyney were forever improving. It was only a matter of time before they got the call."

Source: PA