Liverpool’s former player has reflected on the emotional damage carried by the squad last season following the death of their Portuguese team-mate, describing a dressing room in which football had understandably slipped far down the list of concerns.
He said the experience was difficult even to put into words, such was the shock of losing someone who had been a close friend to many within the group. The impact, he explained, was felt not only in matches and training but across everyday life at the club.
“It is hard to describe and hard to speak about because what we went through was horrible,” he said. “The new signings arrived at a club that was broken. I felt very sorry for them because they had signed for the club and it took them months to settle in.
“Football did not matter to us. That was the reality: you had just lost one of your best friends in the dressing room.”
