Dani Pacheco admits he joined Liverpool after Barcelona dithered in offering him pro terms.

"It's a similar situation to the likes of Cesc Fabregas," Pacheco told the official club website.

"Some Spanish clubs bring players in from South America then don't pay as much attention to the homegrown players.

"It was about two years ago at Barcelona that my agent told me (LFC chief scout) Eduardo Marcia was coming to watch me. I didn't know much about him other than he was from Liverpool. Obviously I was a little bit nervous but I preferred to know because then there was no chance of me relaxing in the game.

"We won 4-1 against Espanyol and I scored a hat-trick - one penalty and another two.

"Barcelona was a fantastic place for me but it was an easy decision to come to Liverpool. I'd been there four years and my girlfriend was there but I wanted to come to England.

"I played every week at Barcelona but the problem was with the contract. The club kept saying I'd get a contract but I never saw it."