Ryan Babel wishes he'd been at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp

The Dutchman admits he wasn't quite equipped for the demands of the Premier League but believes he'd have benefited under Klopp

Ryan Babel has helped take Besiktas to the brink of the Champions League last-16 (Getty)

Ryan Babel wishes he had been at Liverpool under the management of Jurgen Klopp as a young player.

The Dutchman spent four years at the Anfield club, making 91 league appearances for the side, but failed to make his presence felt during such a spell.

Serving under former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez at the time, with whom he shared a fractious relationship, Babel admits that he wasn’t quite equipped for the demands of the Premier League.

"As far as I can judge, English football is not for everybody," he told Sky Sports. "You need to have the lungs for it, you need to have the strength for it. That applies to me also, at this point I don't think I could survive in any team if it's not for my game.

"I liked mostly to play football on the ground and have a little bit of playing tactics rather than just up and down, long balls and second balls. That's not really my game.

"If there isn't a team that plays my type of game I don't think I could make a big difference. I have to be realistic."

Nonethless, Babel wishes Klopp had come 10 years earlier as the 31-year-old believes he would have benefited under the German.

"Judging from the outside I think the current Liverpool manager definitely seems to work with his players and try to improve them," he said.

Babel during his Liverpool days in 2008 (Getty) (GETTY IMAGES)

"I think the 20-year-old me from that time, if I could have been managed under Jurgen Klopp, I'd have benefitted."

Babel is currently poised to reach the last 16 of the Champions League with Turkish side Besiktas.

His side need only a point against Porto on Tuesday to progress to the knock-out stages, where they will be joined by Klopp’s Liverpool should they beat Sevilla in Spain.