Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has stated that Southampton fans need to be proud of Adam Lallana's achievements.

Lallana swapped Southampton for Liverpool during the summer of 2014 and he has managed to establish himself as one of the best attackers in the Premier League since making the switch to Anfield.

Given the nature of his departure, Lallana has been handed a hostile reception by the Southampton fans whenever they have come up against Liverpool but ahead of the two side's EFL Cup semi-final first leg clash at St. Mary's, Klopp has stated his belief that the Saints' faithful should be proud of the 28-year-old rather than give him a hard time.

Klopp said: "I don't know, I'm not here long enough to know why Southampton fans react as they do but he is a boy from the region, that's how it is.

"His friends and family all come from there, he comes from there and with his quality I can imagine everybody at Southampton thought he could be the player for the next 10-15 years to build a team around. That is how it is.

"But actually I'm really happy he decided differently and wanted to see something else and wanted another challenge and experience. He has made outstanding, big steps from an already high level, that is not always expected, and you cannot be sure he would have done the same at Southampton.

"Sometimes different circumstances help you with this. In the first year here, I'm not sure how long exactly because I wasn't here, I heard that nobody was really happy about his performances and especially himself probably, from what I know of him. So it's clear he needed this kind of step back to make the next step in the right direction. He left the comfort zone, if you want."

Klopp added of the Lallana situation: "That is a difficult decision for both sides but I would hope that at some point they can be proud again that a boy from their region is rated so highly in English football.

"Probably one day when they sit at home and think back they will think it's nice that he made this development."