Nathaniel Clyne believes the timing of his move to Liverpool has given him the best possible chance of getting off to a flying start this season....

Brendan Rodgers wasted no time in moving to secure the 24-year-old's signature this summer, with his switch from Southampton officially confirmed on the opening day of the 2015 transfer window.

As a result, Clyne was able to play a full part in the Reds' pre-season schedule, including the trips to Thailand, Australia, Malaysia and Finland.

He expects the worth of the work done in that period to be evident from the early stages of the season for both him and the club's other signings.

"It was important to join ahead of pre-season," the full-back said in an exclusive interview with the official Liverpool FC magazine.

"I think it's the perfect time for me to come into the team. It meant I was able to join in the pre-season at Melwood and then fly out with the squad on the tour, which has been an amazing experience.

"Overall it's given me time to bed in and get to know the team and how they play, and also get to know the manager, the staff and how they operate as well.

"It's all about adapting. We have a lot of training sessions at this time of year to help us get used to each other, familiarise ourselves with how players play, what their best qualities are and so on.

"We've also had a lot of pre-season games which will help us get used to each other and gel to the formation that the manager wants us to play."

Clyne has already netted his first goal in front of the famous Kop: an emphatic finish during Southampton's 2-1 defeat by the Reds on the opening day of last season.

But the England international is now looking forward to experiencing the thrill of running out at Anfield with the home fans hoping he'll do the same again.

"At 24 there is an opportunity for me to be part of the set-up here for a good part of my career," he added.

"That's definitely the aim - I'm here for the long-term. I'm looking to nail a spot down at Liverpool as soon as possible, but I still have a number of things I can improve on that will hopefully make me a better player than I am now.

"I'm confident that I can help the team and that we can have a good season. Making my home debut is something I am really looking forward to.

"I've seen lots of great atmospheres at Anfield, especially on the European nights, so it will be exciting to experience that.

"Seeing the crowd hold up their scarves and sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' from the perspective of a Liverpool player will be good.

"Moving north has been a new experience for me as I have lived in the south all my life.

"But I'm old enough to make the move without being homesick and it's a new challenge and hopefully one which will make me a better player and bring out more confidence in me as well."

Clyne also outlined his desire to help Liverpool challenge at the top next year and add some silverware after falling at the semi-final stages of both the FA Cup and League Cup last term.

"With the squad that we have, I would like to think that we'll look to win every competition that we're in," he continued.

"Our aim has to be a title challenge and trying to make the final of one of the cup competitions, while doing as well as we can in the Europa League.

"My main objective for this season is to establish myself as a Liverpool player.

"If I can do that, hopefully I can be part of the England squad at next summer's Euros.

"I know that's not going to be easy as there are a lot of quality players fighting for positions in that squad at the end of the season.

"But that's for down the line. First and foremost, I've got a job to do this season and I can't wait to get started."

Get ready for the new season by subscribing to the new-look magazine and programme now. To see the savings you can make on subscriptions, click here.

Where's comments?