Joe Cole has insisted he will never take for granted how lucky he is to be a professional footballer playing for a club of Liverpool's stature, while he has also stated that new team-mate Andy Carroll has the potential to emulate Didier Drogba.
The signings of Carroll and fellow striker Luis Suarez have fuelled excitement among the Anfield faithful about what the future could hold for the club.
Cole's own arrival last summer was also greeted with enthusiasm but the campaign has not gone smoothly for the experienced midfielder.
He has struggled to show his best form and currently finds himself well down the pecking order under manager Kenny Dalglish.
However, the former Chelsea man has not lost sight of how fortunate he is to have such a career, and is especially honoured to be a part of such a club like Liverpool.
"I'm privileged to play for Liverpool Football Club and privileged to be a professional footballer," he told LFC Weekly.
"The best thing you can do as a player is make sure that you don't take that for granted every day because it's a great lifestyle. There is nothing you would want to change.
"It's been a bit stop-start for me this season but football's all about ups and downs and sometimes you just have to ride the rollercoaster. I just try to have a positive outlook and keep going.
"I'm enjoying my football at the moment and taking every day as it comes, making sure I work hard every day from the moment I come in to the moment I leave."
Cole admits there is a sense of optimism around the camp and has credited the appointment of his former Chelsea coach, Steve Clarke, as having a major influence.
"I don't think you'll find a better coach around than Steve Clarke," he said. "The lads really enjoy training and I am coming into work with a big smile on my face every day.
"I think all the lads are happy and results have picked up."
Cole played alongside Drogba for several seasons at Stamford Bridge and sees a similar type of striker in Liverpool's big-money January recruit, Carroll.
Cole even feels that Carroll is ahead of Drogba in terms of his development at this stage of his career.
"He's very much like Didier Drogba," said Cole.
"Andy's 22 - we all know what a cracking player Didier is, but he wasn't playing at this level at that age.
"There's still a lot of developing for Andy to do so he can get better and better.
"He's a good lad and I think you'd have been hard pressed to have found two better signings in January than Andy and Luis Suarez."
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