Fulham winger Ryan Babel has indicated that he lacked maturity when he left Liverpool almost a decade ago.
The 32-year-old returned to English football in January this year when Premier League strugglers Fulham signed him from Turkish giants Besiktas.
The Dutchman was considered a talented youngster when Liverpool signed him from Ajax in 2007 and he spent three-and-a-half seasons on Merseyside before joining Hoffenheim in January 2011.
Towards the end of his time at Liverpool, he was not playing regular football and Babel indicated that he has regrets over the way he was bundled out of the back door at Anfield.
He insists that he loved the club and had a special relationship with the fans, but indicated that not playing regularly affected him towards his final months at Liverpool.
The Dutchman conceded that he lacked maturity and did not get any help from the club.
Babel said in an interview with the Times: “I left Liverpool through the back door. It’s a prestige thing to prove people wrong.
“I was loved in Liverpool, I had a good relationship with the fans and my team-mates but I felt I could do better.
“At the same time I was 21, 22, 23 — not every player has the maturity and I needed the guidance I had at Ajax.
“What can you do if you’re not playing?”
Babel scored 22 goals and provided 18 assists in 146 appearances for Liverpool.
