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Former Liverpool club doctor Zaf Iqbal has spoken for the first time about why he left his “dream job” at Anfield earlier this year.

As he was revealed as the new doctor at Crystal Palace, Iqbal revealed the reasons behind his swift departure from the Reds back in January.

Iqbal said he had been forced to move south because of illness in his family and an increased work-load at Anfield which was not compatible with those responsibilities.

He told the BBC: “Unfortunately my son has been unwell, and so as a result of that my wife and kids were based in London. That meant that although I had my dream job working at Liverpool, I was commuting back and forth, which was fine for the first couple of years.

“In 2012 I became head of the department, and with that came added responsibilities, so I had less time to actually get back to London. As a result of that it really came to a head this year, being in the Champions League and not having a single day off in December, it meant I wasn’t able to get back down to London.

“Something had to give, I had a great time up in Liverpool, but as anyone will tell you family wins every time, and I had to get back to London.”

On being offered the Palace Job, the former Anfield man couldn’t hide his excitement.

“An opportunity came up, so I asked around. I asked staff and other managers who had worked with this manager (Alan Pardew), I went for the interview, we had the discussion and eventually it just felt right for me.

“It’s going to be announced today. The club that I’m joining is Crystal Palace.

“I’m really looking forward to it. Crystal Palace are a fantastic club, they are based in London, which was really important for me.”

The 41-year-old becomes the Eagles’ first ever club doctor.