Thursday, October 16, 2008

Pacheco Lifts Lid On Barca Departure

Liverpool youngster Daniel Pacheco has revealed the reasons behind his decision to leave Barcelona last year.

Pacheco was one of the hottest prospects in Barca's youth system, which has recently produced the likes of Lionel Messi, Bojan Krkic and Giovani Dos Santos.

But the 17-year-old waved goodbye to Catalunya in the summer of 2007 to embark on his English adventure, just as Cesc Fabregas did several years beforehand when he signed on for Arsenal.

And the prodigiously gifted forward confessed that he left Camp Nou for the same reasons as his fellow Spaniard: because he felt that some of the club's native talents were being marginalised by the influx of overseas prospects.

"It's a similar situation to the likes of Cesc Fabregas," Pacheco told Liverpool's official website. "Some Spanish clubs bring players in from South America then don't pay as much attention to the homegrown players.

"Barcelona was a fantastic place for me but it was an easy decision to come to Liverpool. I'd been there four years and my girlfriend was there but I wanted to come to England.

"I played every week at Barcelona but the problem was with the contract. The club kept saying I'd get a contract but I never saw it."

Pacheco has established himself as one of the most promising players in Liverpool's reserve set-up, especially after his stunning performances during pre-season.

The youngster revelled in the opportunity to play alongside the first-team regulars, and he revealed that he received some particularly encouraging words from a somewhat surprising source.

"You always learn a lot in every session with the first team. They are massive players but they always help you and give you advice," Pacheco said.

"In pre-season a lot of the Spanish players were away so I was spending time with Yossi Benayoun, Fabio Aurelio and Javier Mascherano. Everyone really, but these three speak Spanish.

"Yossi knows I like to play like him. He always tells me that I'm a good player and that when I have time I can run and take players on. But he tells me that when there is no time and opposition players are close I must pass and move."

Pacheco is just one of several young guns expected to make the grade at Anfield, with Hungarian striker Krisztian Nemeth and French forward David N'Gog also tipped for very bright futures.

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