"It happened very quickly" - Former Liverpool star admits his 'heart hurt a bit' when he was asked to leave the club

Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cissé has spoken about how he felt when he was asked to leave Anfield. The former France international had a brief but memorable spell with the Reds during which the club won their fifth Champions League and the FA Cup.

Cisse joined Liverpool back in 2004 when Rafael Benitez was appointed as the manager of the club. However, he was shown the exit door from Anfield by Benitez in 2006 and he joined Marseille initially on loan before making a permanent switch.

The 42-year-old, who earned 41 caps for France during his illustrious career, has reflected on his exit from Liverpool. The former UEFA Champions League winner insisted that while he was sad to leave the Reds, it made him happy to join Marseille.

Cisse claimed that he was sad to leave his children who resided in England but was overwhelmed by the appreciation he got from Marseille fans. He told Le10 Sport, as quoted by Sport Witness:

“My best memory of Marseille? When I found out I would be signing. I was at home in England. It wasn’t easy because I had learned that Benitez changed his plans and asked me to find a club, and when I find out it’s Marseille, it happened very quickly."

Cisse added:

“It was only joy. My heart hurt a bit because my children were staying in England, but I had to go there during my career, otherwise it wouldn’t have been perfect. When I arrived, I was injured, but when I was introduced, I got a standing ovation from the crowd. I told myself I’d made the right choice.”

Cisse found the back of the net 24 times in 79 appearances during his time at Liverpool as he competed for a place with Milan Baros. He won the UEFA Champions League in 2005 with the Reds while also winning the FA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup on one occasion each.

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Liverpool huge admirers of Ligue 1 star linked with move to Premier League rivals

Liverpool are reportedly tracking Lille wonderkid Leny Yoro, who is also on the radar of Manchester United and Manchester City. Le 10 Sport, via Caught Offside, reported that the Reds are looking at the 18-year-old defender.

Yoro is already a regular for Lille in Ligue 1 and has featured 35 times for them while also being a France U-21 international. He has good ball-playing abilities and has a tall, strong demeanour to command the backline.

Liverpool are currently stretched at the back after Joel Matip was ruled out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. With his contract expiring next summer, Matip might never play for the Reds again. Regardless, the Reds do need to bolster that backline given Virgil Van Dijk is also 32 now.