Lazar: Moving out of comfort zone was key

The Serbian international turns 21 on Monday and yet he has already won a quartet of titles at Partizan Belgrade and Benfica, made the switch to Merseyside and grasped how to operate in an altered formation, to which his role has been key.

When Brendan Rodgers switched to 3-4-3 in mid-December, the entire squad had to adapt their approach - and none more so than Markovic, who found himself needing to strike a balance between attack and defence out on the flanks.

"At Partizan, I was a winger or sometimes a No.10,"  he told the official Liverpool FC monthly magazine. "At Benfica I was a winger. With the national team it is the same. 

"In Serbia, people do not recognise me for my defensive qualities. Sometimes you have to move away from what is comfortable to regain something in your game. I have approached my career in this way. Different is good."

Markovic had to adapt to new surroundings from an early age.

When Partizan signed his brother Filip to their academy in 2006, the family decided he could not go it alone - and so Lazar joined his elder sibling on the journey from Cacak to the Serbian capital.

"They really wanted Filip [at Belgrade] and me maybe not so much," admitted Markovic. "The club did a lot to persuade the family that it was a good idea to leave Cacak.

"[Filip] was a big talent, very skilful and a bit taller than me. He played a lot in the centre and linked the play between midfield and attack. Everybody knew about his ability, but our father did not want him to go to Belgrade alone. So I went too."

In the five years that followed, the younger Markovic proved his worth as an individual and rapid progression earned him a debut for the Partizan senior side at the tender age of 17.

At the end of his first full season, Markovic was voted Partizan's player of the year for 2011-12, while his brother Filip became a regular for the club's farm team, FK Teleoptik.

By the time Lazar swapped Belgrade for Benfica at the age of 19, he had won three Serbian Superliga titles and had been named in the division's Team of the Season twice. 

Portugal brought lavish success on three fronts for the wide-man, as Benfica claimed a treble of trophies, triumphing in the Primeira Liga while also scooping the country's League Cup and FA Cup. 

Then, in the summer of 2014, Rodgers came calling for his services - and Markovic insists he had already decided that Liverpool would be his preferred destination.

"I watch a lot of football on television and last season Liverpool were the best team in the Premier League," he explained. "Liverpool were close to being champions. The football played was really exciting. 

"As soon as Liverpool made the offer I made it clear that I wanted to come here and the deal was settled quite easily. The manager wants the team to attack and score goals. This is the football I like most.

"When I left Benfica last summer, Filip moved to Mallorca in Spain. It is the first time we have been apart in many years, so this experience in Liverpool is different. But we are growing up now. I still speak to him most days. We have the confidence to be apart."

Since scoring a sweet volley in the game against Bournemouth in December's Capital One Cup quarter-finals, Markovic has racked up 13 starts for the Reds.

He was unable to play any part as the side were eliminated from the Europa League at the Round of 32 stage, following a penalty shootout defeat by Besiktas on Thursday, due to suspension.

However, Markovic will be keen to feature tomorrow when the Reds host the reigning Barclays Premier League champions, Manchester City - the team that the No.50 made his Reds debut against back in August. 

"I feel very, very good here," said Markovic. "It is important that we carry on winning because then the new players like me will grow with the club. We are still a few points away from the top four. But we are fighting."