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Jurgen Klopp brought 'hunger and desire' to win ball back - Clyne

Right-back Nathaniel Clyne is ready to claim his first trophy in the Capital One Cup final against Manchester City under Jurgen Klopp.

The England defender has his first opportunity to win a piece of silverware since joining Liverpool from Southampton at the start of the season.

Under Klopp, Clyne has been given the license to roam down the flank, and he believes the German tactician has brought "hunger and desire" back to Anfield, despite only being in the job for four months.

"Everyone is buzzing about the cup final and, for me, it's my first major cup final so all my friends and family are coming and it's very exciting," he told The Mirror.

"I think the biggest thing you notice with the manager [Klopp] is the hunger and desire to win the ball back.

"The midfielders, defenders and full-backs like me have to work very hard. It has been tough but it's also been paying off.

"It was something I was used to with the previous manager [Brendan Rodgers]. I was used to pressing high up the field and it's no problem. I'm fit and young.

"I think you can see that it's working and I'm sure we are going to shoot up the table.

"We've actually been playing well in games, not always getting results and hopefully if we can win a trophy that will give us confidence and mean we can go on and win a lot more."

Liverpool prepared for the Wembley showpiece event with a 6-0 mauling of Aston Villa last week, with England forward Daniel Sturridge returning to the starting lineup, scoring the first goal while Clyne also got his name on the score sheet with Liverpool's fifth.

Clyne feels that the Villa win, was a sign of things to come, as players like Sturridge are coming back from injury to provide a boost to the team's chances going into the final phase of the season.

"We've had a lot of players out injured, I think the win at Aston Villa showed that we are capable and I've felt for a while that a result like that has been coming," he added.

"A lot of players got on the scoresheet. We've got a lot of talent in the squad and when everyone is back, I'm sure we've got a squad which can be successful.

"It's definitely exciting times if we can put together a decent run of form because we've got the cup final, still got the Europa League and hopefully it can be the start of things to come."

While his immediate target is to win the cup final this weekend for his first piece of silverware as a footballer, Clyne has set his sights on a good European Championship in France with the Three Lions.

"It would be my first major tournament with England," said the defender. "So that would be something special for me and something to aim for.

"The experience of playing for England has been very good for me and it encourages me to put in good performances.

"You've got to keep your performances and standards high because there's so much competition for places in the England squad.

"It's a really good squad, there's a lot of quality in there, the squad is at a good age and I think we can hopefully go to the Euros with a lot of belief.

"Playing for England has definitely helped my performance level, it's helped me feel confident as a player because you have to show that you're good enough to be at that level."

Klopp is likely to give Sturridge a starting berth in the final, and Clyne along with Brazilian duo Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho are expected to provide the ammunition for the returning forward.