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New signing Rickie Lambert is determined to prove he deserves to play for a club the size of Liverpool FC.

The 32-year-old sealed a transfer from Southampton earlier this month and has described the move as a “dream come true”.

Lambert was let go by the Reds as a 15-year-old but his remarkable rise through the football pyramid has brought him back to Anfield 17 years later.

But Kirkby-born Lambert insists his fairytale move back to his boyhood club has not come about because of sentiment.

Lambert, who signed on a two-year deal after Liverpool agreed an initial fee of £4m with Saints, says Brendan Rodgers has identified him as a player to help the Reds and he is set on helping vindicate the manager's decision.

"Disbelief," Lambert said when asked what was going through his mind when the news of Liverpool's interest surfaced.

"My agent told me and my first response was not something I can repeat.

“It wasn't a chance I was expecting to get but I've been given it now and I want to get our there that I believe I am good enough and that I will perform and that I will help Liverpool.

"It is a dream come true.

"And as much as it's a whirlwind that is happening for me at the minute with the way my career has gone, I want to make it clear that I feel I deserve to be here and what I've done deserves me to be here right now.”

Lambert was with Liverpool's Academy from the age of 10 but five years later had his dreams crushed when the club let him go.

The former Rochdale man says the memory has stayed with him.

"I can remember very clearly the day Liverpool let me go,” he told ITV.

“I remember being told by Steve Heighway and then going home and staying in my room for hours.

"I was devastated.

“Dad came up after a few hours and just said 'keep your head up son, you're a great player, you'll show them'.

"Dad is over the moon now and Liverpool means everything to him, he's supported them all his life.”

Asked which felt better - scoring for England with his first touch or signing for Liverpool - Lambert said: "Signing for Liverpool.

"It was totally unexpected.

“It's crazy the way my career has gone that I'm picking things over the World Cup.

“I don't mean to but I was asked the question and I'm just saying what it means to me and that is the truth.

"It is a very hard question.”

Lambert is with the England in Brazil preparing for their opening Group D game against Italy on Saturday night.

The Reds' summer acquisition is unsure if he has done enough to earn a starting place upfront but says he is ready for a place in the 11 or a place on the bench.

"Roy (Hodgson) is getting across how he wants the striker to play defensively and attackingly,” he added.

“He's getting that across to everyone in the squad and he doesn't need to tell me what to do if I'm playing or if I'm not playing.

"If I am playing then I need to do what he's been telling me for the last few months and if I'm not playing then I need to come on and make an impact.”

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