Liverpool legend Gary Gillespie is of the opinion that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain warrants a place in the Reds’ starting line-up, owing to his promising performances in recent matches.

The midfielder, who joined Liverpool from Arsenal in the summer, has thus far made 12 appearances in all competitions for his new employers, with nine of those coming from the bench.




Oxlade-Chamberlain made his first Premier League start for Liverpool in their 4-1 rout of West Ham United before the international break and the England international made the occasion memorable by scoring at the London Stadium.

It was the 24-year-old’s second goal for Liverpool; the first came in the club’s 7-0 win over Maribor in the Champions League last month.
 


And Gillespie, who thinks it has not been easy for Oxlade-Chamberlain to shed his playing style at Arsenal and become accustomed to Liverpool’s ways, however feels he has done enough in recent games to be in the Reds’ starting eleven.

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"I think he has done well”, Gillespie told the club’s official site.

“He’s had to be patient and bide his time.

"I think games before the last two when he was coming on from the bench he was making an impact and that is what the manager wants from his substitutes.

"He’s big, he’s strong and his got pace.

“He’s good at going past people and puts balls into the box so he thoroughly deserves his place.

"Sometimes it hard to come to another football club.

“He’s been at Arsenal for quite a few years and has learnt the Arsenal way and sometimes it takes time to develop yourself and get used to you surroundings.

"It was two years until I established myself in the first team. I don’t think it will take Oxlade-Chamberlain that long but I can see him getting far more starts now than at the beginning of the season.

"I think his performances from the last few games certainly warrants a place in the starting eleven, but it is certainly a nice headache for the manager to have."

Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is a product of Southampton’s youth system, joined Arsenal from the Saints in 2011.