Ozak Kabak admits it’s been ‘hard to adapt’ at Liverpool

The German defender admits he has found life in the Premier League difficult since his January arrival

Kabak has won just one out of his four Premier League games for Liverpool (Getty Images)

Ozan Kabak admits he has struggled with the intensity and the quality of the Premier League after a difficult start to his time at Liverpool.

The 20-year-old defender moved to Anfield from Schalke on an initial January loan move with a view to a permanent deal in the summer but has lost three out of his four Premier League matches for the Reds before picking up a muscle injury.

Kabak has also been guilty of making some high-profile mistakes in his early Liverpool career, including a mix-up away with goalkeeper Alisson away at Leicester City to give Jamie Vardy a goal in a 3-1 defeat.

The centre-back admits he is trying to learn from other Liverpool players who have been in similar scenarios and has vowed to give his best until the end of the season.

Kabak (left) joined Jurgen Klopp’s (right) side on a January loan move from Schalke (Getty)

Kabak told the Liverpool matchday programme before the visit of Fulham last week: “In England the level is really, really high. The Bundesliga is also a really high level, but I think the Premier League is higher in intensity and physical quality.

“I think it is the highest level of football and I am trying to adapt here. Thiago [Alcantara], Bobby [Firmino] and [Xherdan] Shaqiri played in the Bundesliga before they were here and our manager also managed in Germany, so I take their advice and try to give my best in training and the games.

“I have given everything in the last month, but of course it is hard to adapt here because there are good players and good teams in the Premier League.

“It is always harder to join a team in winter, to be honest, to play with new team-mates and obviously to move to a new country with a new language. It has been a challenge for me, but I have tried to adapt as soon as possible.”

Kabak (right) has helped Liverpool to just one Premier League win since joining (Getty)

Liverpool have plummeted down the Premier League table following Kabak’s arrival from the Bundesliga, with the Reds winning just one in seven Premier League games since the beginning of February.

The form has also seen Jurgen Klopp’s side lose six consecutive home matches in a row, with the Reds now outsiders to even finish in the top-four this season.

Klopp’s side lie in eighth spot, seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea though the Reds do have a 2-0 Champions League last-16 first-leg lead over RB Leipzig to defend this week.

READ MORE: Why Liverpool’s alarming decline may still be getting worse