Xherdan Shaqiri speaks about the transition from Stoke City to Liverpool

Switzerland international Xherdan Shaqiri has described his move to Liverpool from Stoke City as a fairy tale. The attacker faced relegation with the Potters during the 2017/18 campaign but just 12 months later, he has managed to win the Champions League title for the second time in his professional career.

Speaking to SRF, Shaqiri described the experience as a fairytale and said that there are many players, who have never tested success in the elite competition. He added that the Reds triumph in Europe has to be credited to manager Jurgen Klopp, who has worked tirelessly to end the club’s seven-year wait for a trophy.

He said: "It's a fairy tale. I was relegated to the championship with Stoke and a year later I win the Champions League. There are lot of players who never win this trophy. Nobody will be able to take this away from me. Jurgen Klopp demands a lot so we have often reached our limits. He wants us to play hard, like we did against Barcelona, when we overran them. You have to congratulate the coach because he gave us that."

Shaqiri made a few game-changing performances off the bench during the opening stages of the previous campaign and that earned him more gametime during the festive period. However, he was not able to sustain the same during the backend of the campaign where Klopp regularly preferred to play with three central midfielders.

Nonetheless, the Swiss has expressed no frustration over the handling by the manager and it remains to be seen whether he can make a better impression next term. Shaqiri could be handed with a starting role during the opening part of the 2019/2020 campaign with both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane likely to receive an extended rest, should they go through to the latter stages of the African Cup of Nations.