Former Charlton Athletic winger Lloyd Sam admits Luke Rodgers convinced him about taking a chance with trials at New York Red Bulls.

Sam is currently chasing a deal with the MLS giants.

"This summer I've been at Portsmouth where Luke Rodgers has been, and we went away to Spain for ten days (for training camp), so I got to know Luke Rodgers quite well. When I found out about this thing, Luke Rodgers was there,'' Sam told the New York Post. "Luke Rodgers was present when I was hearing about this New York thing.

"We'd just come back, and we were training in Portsmouth and after we were going out to dinner, a few of the boys, and I had found out right before dinner. Then when I spoke to Luke, he said he would come back here for free. So you can imagine how he was talking about it, massive praise.

"He was probably a key influential person in me coming, because I've had a couple offers back in England so I have to weigh it up. But when I spoke to him, he convinced me. He loved it out here. He said the club is a great experience and he had a great time here altogether, and he wishes he could come back.''