Liverpool, Sep 9: Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic is confident he can make the step up to the level required from a Liverpool footballer despite just 12 minutes of action so far.

The 20-year-old agreed to a 5.1 million pound ($6.7 million) transfer in January but he was loaned back to Red Star Belgrade for the rest of the campaign, helping them win the Serbian SuperLiga title.

Grujic impressed during pre-season, scoring three goals, but made his English Premier League (EPL) debut coming on as a late substitute in the 0-2 defeat against Burnley on August 20.

And the Serbia international says the backing of Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp can help him adjust to life in what is touted as the world's most competitive football league.

"He told me I'm a very talented player and I just need to work to improve myself. Pre-season went very well for me, but that's just pre-season and now I need to adapt fully to the Premier League," he was quoted as saying by the Express on Friday.

"But I've seen that I can work nicely with my team-mates, even against strong teams like Chelsea (in pre-season) for example, and that's what gives me confidence that I can do big things with Liverpool," Grujic added.

"When I came here from Serbia I knew I would have new steps in my career and that it would be hard. It was hard because it was a first pre-season with Liverpool and some training was harder than at my old club in Serbia, but every day I adapted more for this new kind of training and everything is good now."

IANS