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The last time Iago Aspas attended a competitive Liverpool fixture he was tasked with getting the ball back.

Fifteen years after he watched from the sidelines as Gerard Houllier's side were beaten 3-1 by his beloved Celta Vigo in a UEFA Cup tie at the Estadio Balaidos, the Spanish striker is ready to take on a more demanding a role as he prepares for his Reds debut against Stoke City at Anfield on Saturday.

“I was a ball boy when Liverpool came to play Celta Vigo when I was a kid,” he recalled.

“I was a ball boy for 10 years. I remember that game well as Michael Owen scored but Celta won the game and went through.

“Owen was someone that I liked very much. I really enjoyed watching him.”

Aspas ended a 17-year association with his boyhood club when he joined Liverpool in a £7.7million deal in June.

The 26-year-old walked away as a hero after his dozen goals helped Celta pull off an unlikely escape act as they avoided relegation from La Liga with victory over Espanyol on the final day.

It was Aspas who created the opportunity for Natxo Insa to score the goal which kept them up and he left the pitch in tears.

“It was hard to say goodbye,” he said.

“We had a meal with the team straight after the game and then a couple of days later, when everything had calmed down, we had a lunch to say a final goodbye to the people who were leaving.

“We ended the season on a positive note. I had been there from the age of eight. My house is only 15km from the training ground. It was very difficult to leave the city but when you get the call from a massive club like Liverpool the decision is easy.”

His former Celta team-mate Michu tried to convince him to head for Swansea City instead but there was only one destination for Aspas once Brendan Rodgers made his move.

“Michu is a friend of mine and he spoke to me as Swansea were in the frame,” he said.

“But as soon as Liverpool came along, it was easy. You look at all the factors and everything points to this club.

“This was the best option for me for various reasons - the philosophy of the club and the success they have enjoyed in Europe.”

Aspas has adapted quickly to his new surroundings – netting four goals in Liverpool's friendlies and showing his versatility as he has operated out wide and through the middle.

After the stresses and strains of battling against relegation in his homeland, the Reds' new No 9 is confident he can handle the pressures of life at Anfield and prove a success in English football.

“It has been great so far, very easy to settle in,” he said.

“There haven’t been any negative points. The lads have welcomed me into the dressing room. It’s all very positive.

“It's been made easy because guys like Lucas and Jose Enrique speak Spanish. Everyone has gone out of their way to help.

“Let's face it, Celta are quite a small team in Spain but the pressure when you are fighting against relegation does prepare you for this.

“It is a different kind of pressure when you are at the top of the league, a joyful pressure. I’m just trying to improve and to learn.

“What the manager is looking for and the style he wants is something that we have grown up with in Spain.

“The training here is no different to what I have been doing in Spain. It is similar drills.

“In terms of what I can bring, I can find space, I can get myself away from my markers. I have got technique, skill and speed. I also like to shoot. I have got a decent ability to hit the ball.

“As for the No 9 shirt, that is not crucial. You can’t deny that there have been some big forwards who have worn this shirt with distinction. But it won’t weigh that heavily on me.”

His former Celta boss Paco Herrera, the ex-Liverpool assistant, has described Aspas as “half Messi, half monster”.

In La Liga last season he created more chances from open play than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

Yet his fierce competitive streak has got him into trouble at times. Back in March he was banned for four games for head-butting defender Carlos Marchena during the Galician derby with Deportivo La Coruna.

Rodgers has already got problems with one temperamental striker but Aspas insists he won't be courting controversy.

He added: “I'm not sure where Paco was going with that quote!

“Paco was very important for me at Celta and very good for my progress as a player.

“The red card? That was just a case of in one game I lost my head. If you look back at seven years of being a professional, that was just one incident, a one-off. I suppose these things can happen in the heat of a game.”

There will be no gentle introduction to the Premier League for Aspas with a combative Stoke side the visitors to Anfield on Saturday.

Asked if he knew what to expect, he got off his seat to gesture a long throw-in.

“I know all about English football and I know all about the long balls,” he said. “I'm ready for it.”

Aspas looking forward to Suarez partnership

Iago Aspas is relishing the prospect of lining up alongside Luis Suarez once the Uruguayan has served his suspension next month.

With Suarez missing the opening six matches, the new boy from Celta Vigo will be tasked with helping to provide the firepower to ensure Liverpool make a flying start to the new season.

“I just hope that Luis stays at the club because from what I saw last season he was very important for the club and played some amazing games,” Aspas said.

“He is a great player and we don't want him to leave.

“The manager didn't sign me as a replacement for anyone. He signed me for the qualities that he saw in me and the qualities that I can bring. That is why I am here. I will be myself.”