Jarell Quansah says leaving Liverpool improved his World Cup prospects
The 23-year-old is part of England's 26-man squad for the tournament
Jarell Quansah knows his journey to the World Cup was only possible because he made the “really tough decision” to leave boyhood club Liverpool.
The versatile defender, who is part of England’s 26-man squad that moves to their tournament base in Kansas City on Saturday, left the Reds last summer to join German side Bayer Leverkusen.
Quansah has flourished in the Bundesliga and has been rewarded with a place in Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
The 23-year-old, who joined Liverpool as a five-year-old, was not getting enough gametime at Anfield and knew he had to leave to further his career.
“Last summer it was a really tough decision, to be honest, to walk away from my boyhood club — a club I’ve been at all my life,” he said.
“But I just knew it was the best thing that I needed for my career, to be playing week in week out.
“People who know me know I back myself no matter what and I feel like I’m capable of playing at the highest level and I wanted to show that this season.
“To be rewarded being selected for the World Cup is an absolute honour and it’s all down to the hard work that I’ve put in over the past 12 months.
“I feel like with every game I play, I’m getting better. I’m only young, so as long as I keep my head down, I keep grafting away, I know I’m going to be in a good place.
“It’s just sticking to what I know and sticking to the goals that I’ve set myself and hopefully I can achieve everything I want.”
Quansah may have appealed to Tuchel because of his versatility of being able to play at centre-back or right-back.
“I think you can say that throughout my career, I’ve sort of drifted along the back line, whether it be left or right centre-back, or right-back,” he added.
“I’m comfortable playing all of them, to be honest, especially this past year, although it’s back three for Leverkusen I’m often in right-back positions.
“I’m still getting used to it a little bit, but I feel like I’m getting better every time I play there.
“I’ve probably only had a handful of games at right-back so I’m getting used to it but I think I’m getting better.”
He first came onto Tuchel’s radar as part of the Under-21s team that won the European Championship last summer.
Quansah added: “He (Tuchel) watched the final. Obviously, there’s always an incentive when you’re at the Under-21s, you’ve seen so many players moving up through the age groups and if you’re performing for the club, you’re going to be in and around it and for the first team, that’s just the nature of the job.
“He’s always been directed and very honest with you – all you can ask from a manager.”