Henry Winter Chief Football Writer
Last updated at 12:01AM, January 16 2016
Emre Can tells Henry Winter about wearing Liverpool’s No 23 shirt and his dream of victory over Manchester United
Emre Can, Liverpool’s popular midfielder, is frequently approached by supporters when he is walking around the city, shopping, sightseeing or eating out. Fans have been coming up to him with greater urgency in recent days, emphasising the importance of tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League game at Anfield. It is Liverpool versus Manchester United, a rivalry dating back to the Victorian epoch.
Can has played in the fixture before and understands the uniqueness of the occasion. “I know about the rivalry,” the Germany player says with a smile. “I know it. I know the score. When I’m out and about in the city, fans come up to me, and they tell me about the rivalry. They say that in Manchester it’s not good to talk about Liverpool and in Liverpool it’s not good to talk about Manchester United.
“Everyone in the world knows about this big game, Liverpool against Manchester United, and the rivalry that is there. In Germany, it’s like Schalke against Borussia Dortmund. Everyone knows that Liverpool against Manchester United is a clasico. When I was in Germany, if I got the chance to watch this game, I always would.”
If Liverpool win, they will make the sands shift more under Louis van Gaal. They will go level on points with United and gain more hope of qualifying for the Champions League.
“Liverpool are a top club and we should be in the top four and that’s definitely our target,” Can says. “I’m sure we will win trophies in the future. We can definitely win the title in the future because Liverpool are such a big club.”
Can is ambitious. Always has been. “As a kid, I went out in the morning and played football until the evening,” he recalls of his early years in Stuttgart. “I always had a ball at my feet, playing with my friends on a rubber pitch. I’d occasionally get in trouble with my parents for being late for meals. I was always playing football.”
At six, Can was spotted by his local club, Blau-Gelb Frankfurt, and then whisked away to Eintracht Frankfurt aged 12. He started becoming wider known in 2009 when he starred for Eintracht in the under-15 five-a-side indoor tournament in Magdeburg, the Matthias-Pape Cup, which has accelerated the careers of everyone from Toni Kroos to Mario Götze, Marco Reus to Julian Draxler. The event is regularly scouted by Chelsea and United as well as Bundesliga clubs.
Bayern Munich took a look at the goalscoring central midfielder and pursued him, bringing the 15-year-old into their academy and stepping up his footballing education. “School was obviously important but I was training professionally from a young age so I didn’t really have a chance to go on and do my Abitur,” he says of his education, not following the likes of Bayern’s Thomas Müller who completed the German equivalent of A levels.
All the time he was at revered Bayern, Can stayed humble, following the words of his father and mother. “My parents said: ‘Be yourself, always do your best.’ They told me how to live,” he says. “They told me to treat other people well. They gave me a lot of advice. I’m thankful to my family for everything they’ve done for me, and the advice they’ve given me, and that’s why I am where I am. It’s important for me to follow what they’ve laid down for me.”
He found more good advice at Bayern. “Bastian Schweinsteiger often came up to me and spoke to me. He would say: ‘You have to enjoy the moment. Don’t put yourself under too much pressure.’ It’s great when a top player like that gives advice. Schweinsteiger helped me a lot.
“Schweinsteiger is a legend, a great player. He’s achieved a lot in his career. He’s a great strategist on the field, and a very good person. I had the honour of playing with him at Bayern and I know him from Germany as well. I’ve heard he’s injured but I hope he can play [for United tomorrow]. I am looking forward to playing against him.”
At 19, Can was scoring for Bayern against Freiburg in the Bundesliga, playing in front of 80,645 at Westfalenstadion and helping Bayern to a point against Borussia Dortmund. He was gaining experience but Bayern’s proliferation of midfielders, including Schweinsteiger and signings such as Javi Martínez and Thiago Alcântara, meant opportunities were limited.
Can was a star in the Germany age-group system, captaining the under-17s, and craved regular club exposure. He signed a four-year deal with Bayer Leverkusen, but with Bayern inserting a buy-back clause. It was Liverpool who triggered his £9.75 million release clause in 2014. He talked to Liverpool and immediately liked them. “This is a real family club,” he says. “Look around here [pointing around Melwood]. People are so close together. If you need anything away from the football they are here to help you straight away. They are so friendly here.”
He studied the club and chose the No 23 shirt for two reasons. “I know the legend of No 23 here. Having that number means a lot to me as Jamie Carragher had it before me and he’s a Liverpool legend. I heard that his son has my name on the back of his No 23 shirt.
“It gives me great pleasure that my name is on the back of the shirt worn by Jamie Carragher’s son.”
The No 23 carries extra significance. “It is a legend’s number. David Beckham, Michael Jordan and many legends in sport wore 23 and that means a lot to me,” he says. “I want to give my best and live up to the number.”
He also takes inspiration from another local hero. “I know the significance of Stevie [Gerrard] to Liverpool Football Club,” he says. “I know how much he means to the fans. I know how much he still loves the club. He’s still close to the club. He follows all the games.”
Can has really taken to the city of Gerrard and Carragher. “People are very, very friendly. They come up and talk to me when I’m out and about in town,” he says. “I like the people in Liverpool. I like the way they treat me. They are very warm-hearted and open. They often come up and slap me on the shoulder.”
Can signed under Brendan Rodgers, who would occasionally play him in defence. To the Kop’s relief, Jürgen Klopp, Rodgers’s successor as coach, sees Can as a central midfielder. Wednesday evening demonstrated why it is his best position. He excelled in the first period, breaking up Arsenal attacks and charging forward. “I feel at home in midfield,” Can says. “That’s my main position. One of my strengths is being able to get the ball, drive forward and take hold of the game. That’s what I enjoy doing.”
His stinging shot led to the first of Roberto Firmino’s two goals. “He has such great potential,” Can remarks of the Brazilian. “He showed with those great goals what he can do. That was just the start. We look forward to him doing more of that.”
Having Jordan Henderson back helps. “Jordan has great leadership qualities,” he says. “He focuses the way we play. He can control the game defensively very well.”
Can is still keen to voice a personal and collective frustration over the 3-3 draw with Arsenal. “We went into the game wanting to win and started well in the opening minutes but then eased off a bit,” he says. “We got the late goal and of course we felt positive about that. But I think that really we deserved to win the game.
“I don’t believe it was my best first half. I was not particularly satisfied with my performance. I made a few unnecessary mistakes and I need to stop making those. I need to improve, to be more consistent.”
Can needs to add goals, having managed only two in 69 appearances for Liverpool, and address momentary lapses of concentration but he is clearly an emerging force.
Because of his height and physical strength, it is easy to forget that he turned 22 only on Tuesday. Showing how embedded his family is in the Anfield family, Can’s brother brought him a birthday cake in red-and-white icing bearing 22 candles, the inscription “EC23”, the words “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and a figure of him with arms aloft on the top tier.
He is relishing playing under Klopp, and smiles at the mention of his compatriot’s exuberant celebration at Liverpool’s late equaliser on Wednesday. “Everyone knows Mr Klopp is very, very emotional,” he says. “It’s simple: he lives for football. He loves football; he should never change. That’s the way he is. Being that passionate about football is the best way.”
Liverpool press more than under Rodgers, leading to claims that Klopp’s high-intensity approach is responsible for the run of soft-tissue injuries. “Each coach has his own way of doing things,” he says. “Things change from coach to coach. I’ve read in the papers that a lot of injuries have been caused by us ‘training too hard’. That’s nonsense. We’re not training between games in this busy period. A lot of the time we are regenerating, recovering between games.”
Can looks fresh and hungry. He faces a busy few months, trying to get Liverpool into the Champions League and hoping to make Germany’s squad for Euro 2016. He has played three times for the world champions. “I’m not a World Cup-winner,’’ Can corrects. “I wasn’t there [in 2014]. It’s the dream of every boy to play for his country. I want to represent my country well. I hope Germany can win the Euros. It will be difficult but we have the quality to win it. I’m proud to play for my country. But I have the same feeling of pride wearing the Liverpool shirt, playing in that shirt in front of 60,000 fans, as when I’m wearing the Germany shirt.”
He gets up to go. It is time for a team meeting, building towards the collision with United. Can leaves with one simple promise. “We will give our best. We know the rivalry.”
