Charlie Adam: Playing Regularly Is More Important Than Hefty Wages

Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam insists that playing regularly will always trump big wages.

The Reds midfielder began his career with Scottish giants Rangers and remained at Ibrox for six years, during which time he was sent out on loan on three occasions.

The last time the 25-year-old was dispatched on a temporary move elsewhere was to Blackpool in 2009. And he eventually joined the Seasiders to play regularly and establish himself by putting in strong performances.

Now the former Gers man is believed to have been handed a contract worth £60,000-a-week on Merseyside, but still hopes to play regularly at his new club.

"I’ve always been confident in my own ability to play at the highest level," said Adam, according to The Sunday Mirror. "But up until last year when Blackpool was in the Premier League I had never been given the opportunity to prove it.

"There’s no better feeling than walking out at three o’clock on a Saturday to play football. Every footballer would tell you that – or they should do. It doesn’t matter how much money you earn, playing is the most important thing.

"That’s what I have looked forward to since I was a boy and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to do that and be successful at Liverpool. It’s like when people talk about taking steps forward and taking steps backward.

"But for me, it’s all about playing. It’s no good sitting on the sidelines at a top club. I’d prefer to play every week somewhere else. That’s all I have wanted to do since I was a boy.

"That’s why it makes me laugh when people say I took a step down leaving Rangers for Blackpool. For me it was a step forward. In fact, to go from not playing at Rangers to playing every week at Blackpool was a massive step forward.

"They looked after me, gave me an opportunity to come to England, and now I’m a Liverpool player."

The Reds currently have a plethora of midfielders, as Adam has to compete with Steven Gerrard, Lucas, Raul Meireles, Joe Cole, Alberto Aquilani and Jordan Henderson for a place in the team.

He said: "At every club there are players who bring different qualities to the team and it is all about learning to complement one another.

"I am a piece of the jigsaw. The manager is putting together a package here and he obviously sees me as part of that."