Former Liverpool striker Neil Mellor thinks Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is doing more for the Reds than he did for Arsenal when he was with Arsene Wenger’s team.
The midfielder, who joined Liverpool from Arsenal in the summer, made his first Premier League start for his new employers during their 4-1 rout of West Ham United at the weekend.
Oxlade-Chamberlain made his first start for the Merseyside giants memorable by scoring Liverpool’s third goal at the London Stadium.
Besides going up to join the Reds’ attack, the England international often fell back to regain possession when Liverpool lost the ball against West Ham.
And Mellor, who believes Oxlade-Chamberlain has the pace and power to trouble opponents’ defences, feels Jurgen Klopp is reshaping the 24-year-old’s game.
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“What you have to remember is that Ox was at Arsenal for a number of seasons, he worked under Wenger – they have a different way of playing”, he said on LFC TV.
“Under Jurgen Klopp he is going to be asked to play in different positions and do more for the team.
“He played on the right hand side of a midfield-four and he has the pace and the power which he can use in this team.
“We have seen what [Mohamed] Salah can do with that pace, we have seen what [Sadio] Mane can do with that pace and Ox is very similar in that aspect.
“He can cause defences all kinds of problems with the pace and power he has got.
“For Liverpool he has been asked to get back into position [when the Reds lose the ball], so that he can win the ball back and we can go on the attack again and I don’t think he wouldn’t have done that for Arsenal.
“This is what he is learning, this is what he is developing at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp.
“And we are all absolutely delighted that in his first start he gets himself a goal and contributed very, very well.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was signed by Arsenal from Southampton in the summer of 2011, has thus far clocked up 468 minutes over 12 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool, scoring twice.
