Joao gets Sami help in Brighton mission
Sami Hyypia and Joao Carlos Teixeira are joined in a shared mission to ensure that the Portuguese youngster achieves enough during his stay with Brighton & Hove Albion to return to Liverpool an improved player.
The former, a revered ex-Reds defender and captain, was installed as the Championship side's manager in June of this year, and it was not long before he swooped to capture the latter on loan from his old club.
Teixeira agreed a temporary switch to Brighton midway through August, seeking to further develop his potential with increased game time after being handed a first-team debut by Brendan Rodgers last season.
The 21-year-old has impressed to date too, making 15 appearances in all competitions and chipping in with two goals. But neither he nor his current boss, Hyypia, will allow any resting on laurels.
"It has been a great move for me, making some assists and scoring goals," Teixeira explained to Liverpoolfc.com recently. "It's about numbers, football is about statistics.
"I've been improving my numbers and hopefully I'll score more and give more assists. Of course I want to go back to Liverpool [in the future] but I know I have to work every day.
"[Hyypia] always tells me the way to work and how I can do it. He gives me advice to keep going. He is a legend at Liverpool and a really nice guy as well, as a person and a manager."
That is a role Hyypia is more than happy to undertake, not least because progress for Teixeira will help his own side and perhaps prove a benefit to the club he represented with aplomb for a decade.
As expected, however, the professional Finn is keen to accentuate areas for improvement just as much as highlight the positives in a player that he is keeping a close watch on.
"He has done well, he is a good player," added Hyypia, whose outfit are currently 20th in the Championship standings and determined to climb much higher.
"But he is young and sometimes with youngsters, the performances are not consistent. He will need to work on consistency and the will to improve himself every day. I'll be on top of him."
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