Joe Allen is determined to be Liverpool's answer to Barcelona star Xavi.

Allen does not intend to fall short of his personal ­ambition for the lack of ­trying.

"We can be a bit self-deprecating in Britain," said Allen. "But I'm ambitious and as long as I keep working and developing why shouldn't I aim to be as good as someone like Xavi?

"I know I'm miles off at the moment, but there's no reason why we can't produce that level of player in Britain.

"Xavi and Iniesta are the players I watch and try to learn from, so it's natural that I should try to be as good as them.

"I'm lucky in a sense that I'm playing in an era in which my size is not an issue and when people are enjoying the style of football I like to play.

"I was even smaller for my age when I was younger, but I always had an underlying confidence that I would be a professional footballer. That's probably the reason I am.

"I know I've got to work hard on all aspects of my game, ­particularly my goalscoring record, to reach the top level. But I have a lot of time to improve."