Birmingham boss Steve Bruce is wary of the threat posed by winger Jermaine Pennant when he takes his side to Liverpool on Saturday.
Bruce handed Pennant a career lifeline when he signed him from Arsenal and stood by him after he was jailed for motoring offences.
Pennant's form for Birmingham earned him a dream move to Liverpool last summer and Bruce said: "He seems to have knuckled down and did well to get a move to such a top club as Liverpool.
"He appears to have behaved himself since joining Liverpool and made himself into a really good player.
"No-one doubts his ability. He has taken on added responsibility and I felt that in the European Cup final he was their best player.
"Going to prison certainly gave him a wake-up call.
"He was a fantastic player for us and he is a genuinely a good kid.
"After leaving Birmingham he gave me a Liverpool shirt but it does not go down too well in my house," added former Manchester United skipper Bruce.
Bruce believes he has got a more than able replacement for Pennant in the shape of Sebastian Larsson.
"We sold Jermaine to Liverpool for £8million and we brought in Seb Larsson from Arsenal for £1million to replace him," said Bruce. "Seb has been a great replacement for us and he has been a fantastic signing.
"He scored nine goals last season and played a key role in us winning promotion.
"He probably had his best game of the season in the 1-0 win over Bolton last Saturday.
"He is keen to prove himself in the Premier League and he is turning out to be a great replacement for Pennant."
Bruce handed Pennant a career lifeline when he signed him from Arsenal and stood by him after he was jailed for motoring offences.
Pennant's form for Birmingham earned him a dream move to Liverpool last summer and Bruce said: "He seems to have knuckled down and did well to get a move to such a top club as Liverpool.
"He appears to have behaved himself since joining Liverpool and made himself into a really good player.
"No-one doubts his ability. He has taken on added responsibility and I felt that in the European Cup final he was their best player.
"Going to prison certainly gave him a wake-up call.
"He was a fantastic player for us and he is a genuinely a good kid.
"After leaving Birmingham he gave me a Liverpool shirt but it does not go down too well in my house," added former Manchester United skipper Bruce.
Bruce believes he has got a more than able replacement for Pennant in the shape of Sebastian Larsson.
"We sold Jermaine to Liverpool for £8million and we brought in Seb Larsson from Arsenal for £1million to replace him," said Bruce. "Seb has been a great replacement for us and he has been a fantastic signing.
"He scored nine goals last season and played a key role in us winning promotion.
"He probably had his best game of the season in the 1-0 win over Bolton last Saturday.
"He is keen to prove himself in the Premier League and he is turning out to be a great replacement for Pennant."
No comments:
Post a Comment