‘When Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard spoke, I asked them to repeat it in English’: Liverpool flop Andriy Voronin admitted he couldn’t understand his team-mates’ Scouse accent and ‘couldn’t get along’ at Anfield.
- Andriy Voronin joined Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer of 2007
- But the former Ukraine international has struggled to adapt to the Premier League
- Voronin admits the weather and no winter break made it difficult for him to settle down
- He claims Jamie Carragher was also one of his toughest opponents
Former Liverpool outsider Andriy Voronin has admitted he struggled to understand the Scouse accents of his team-mates Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard while not settling at Anfield.
Voronin arrived on Merseyside on a free transfer in the summer of 2007 and was widely expected to provide adequate cover for also recently signed Fernando Torres, having agreed a four-year deal.
But the former Ukraine striker has never adjusted to the Premier League and claims he has struggled with communicating with dressing room leaders Gerrard and Carragher while struggling with the UK weather and the lack of a winter break.
Striker Andriy Voronin never adjusted to life in Liverpool after his free transfer in 2007
When asked about his memories of Liverpool, the 41-year-old told Goal: “Scouse. I didn’t understand almost anything, my English wasn’t good anyway. As Carragher and Gerrard spoke, I asked them to repeat it in English.
“Overall, Liverpool didn’t suit me as a city, although it has a lot of history to offer, such as the Beatles. My father is a big fan of the band.
“When I told him I signed for Liverpool he started crying. I couldn’t cope with the weather and the rhythm of the games without a winter break either. I was just out and about playing, which was very tiring.’
Voronin (right) admits he had trouble understanding the Scouse accent of teammates like Steven Gerrard (left) and Jamie Carragher
Voronin names Carragher (pictured in 2008 training) as one of the toughest opponents he has ever faced after their struggles on the training ground
However, Voronin had full respect for his colleagues on Merseyside, claiming Carragher was one of the toughest opponents he had ever faced and saying he “hated playing him in training”.
After moving from Bayer Leverkusen, Voronin netted just six times in 28 games in his debut season before being loaned out to Hertha Berlin for the 2008–09 season.
Although he returned to Anfield for the 2009/10 season, he failed to find the net in a further 12 appearances before being sold to Dynamo Moscow in January 2010 for £4million.
