Roy Hodgson admits Christian Poulsen has not enjoyed best of starts to Liverpool career
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has admitted that defensive midfielder Christian Poulsen has not enjoyed the best of starts to life at the English Premier League club.
The Dane arrived at Anfield in the summer from Italian giants Juventus for a fee of 5.2 million euros, but has struggled to adapt to playing in England and, as a result, his performances have suffered.
The 30-year-old was brought on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Wigan Athletic on Wednesday 10 November. While he was booed by several Reds supporters upon his introduction at the DW Stadium, Hodgson says that the player played a vital role in helping the
Reds grab a point.
He told The Guardian that: "He was good against Wigan, his introduction secured the point at least because he was very good when he came on.
'Fans know he hasn't played well'
"Unfortunately I can't do anything about the fans, but he's had one or two games in front of our crowd where he's not played well and he knows he hasn't. He is devastated by that and the crowd, who aren't stupid, know he's not played well. It's a fact of life.
"He can only keep working hard and when he gets his chance he has to get on with his job. He had a job to do against Wigan and without his introduction, with a very tired Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt, who knows? We could even have lost the game.
"But he's got quality, he's a good defensive midfield player. He's not that bad on the ball, but let's not beat about the bush and try to disguise the fact — he's had a bad start."
Poulsen has played seven games for Liverpool in the EPL and has yet to score or claim an assist.
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