Saturday, May 03, 2008

Plessis Eyes Anfield Debut

Liverpool midfielder Damien Plessis has revealed it would be a dream come true if he were to make his Anfield debut this weekend against Manchester City.

The Frenchman, in his first season at the club, has impressed hugely under Gary Ablett in the Reserves, helping them to the Premier Reserve League title for the northern division and a showdown with southern champions Aston Villa.

The 20-year-old was magnificent during his first-team debut away to Arsenal, and put in another promising performance against Birmingham City last week.

And Plessis is hungry to play in front of the Liverpool faithful at Anfield, and hopes he gets his chance before the end of the season.

"It would be a dream come true to get a chance to play in front of the Kop in a kind of mythical, famous stadium known all over the world," Plessis told Liverpoolfc.tv.

"Since I first saw the Stadium when I signed for the club, I've always harboured a desire to play in front of that crowd. It's something I'm preparing for.

"I'm hoping I get the chance. It would be great to play in the game against Manchester City or the final match of the season away to Tottenham, but I've got to be patient and wait and see.

"I've got the reserve final against Aston Villa coming up next week, so I'm also looking forward to that."

Plessis was a surprise starter at the Emirates last month, so much so that viewers and pundits alike failed to recognise him when the television cameras caught sight of him in the tunnel.

Perhaps even more surprising was the quality of his performance, although avid followers of Liverpool’s seconds will have been quietly expectant of seeing the level of maturity, discipline, awareness, technique and passing skill he has displayed in the Reserves all season.

Plessis was both thrilled and shocked at his inclusion against the Gunners, and admits it was a great learning experience.

"It was fantastic news and obviously I was very, very happy to start," he said.

"I suppose it was the culmination of all the hard work that we put into a season and coming towards the end of it was great to see the fruit of all your efforts really and fantastic to have a chance to play in the first-team.

"I learned a lot from playing alongside the likes of Jamie Carragher, Lucas Leiva and Peter Crouch.

"You don't realise how fast the game is at that level and you can't miss a pass because there is no margin for error in the first-team.

"You've got to be concentrated for the whole 90 minutes and you see how hard they work, so it was good for me to learn from them."

The young Frenchman has already been likened to compatriot Patrick Vieira, and while Plessis is flattered by the comparison, he insists it is premature.

"I'm flattered obviously," said Plessis.

"He's had a long, fantastic career and I'm just starting out in the game - my career is short in comparison.

"But he's Patrick and I'm Damien and at the end of the day, I've got to make my own path in football and hopefully that's what I'll do and be known for my own ability."

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