Karius on life in Liverpool, exploring Sefton Park and a bigger Anfield

Since finalising his switch from the Bundesliga, the 23-year-old has acquired an apartment in the south of the city and has taken whatever opportunity he has had to explore his new surroundings.

“It’s really good,” Karius says of his new life on Merseyside during a chat with Liverpoolfc.com recently. “I have a home already and I am feeling very good there.

“I am trying to make my way – I am not 100 per cent sure yet on how to get everywhere, but I think I will have enough time in the future to see more of the city and I am looking forward to that.

“Liverpool One is in the centre, so I’ve had a look there, but I also like the areas that are a bit quieter – Sefton Park is nice, for example.

“But I haven’t seen everything yet because we’ve been away on tour, training a lot and then the injury came. I will see it in future and then I will tell you another time what my favourite place is!”

When making the most of those rare opportunities to explore what Liverpool has to offer as a city, Karius has naturally encountered scores of Reds supporters.

The German has enjoyed such interactions, particularly as their well-wishes have helped keep his spirits up after the broken hand sustained in pre-season has kept him out of the opening to 2016-17.

“People have recognised me at the traffic lights, when I’m having lunch or things like that and it’s really nice to see because they’re all just wishing you the best and a good recovery,” said Karius. “It’s nice to hear from people and to know they care about you.

“It’s a very good feeling, especially as I am new to the club and haven’t been able to show them that much yet, but they are already supporting me like this.

“It’s nice to see they don’t forget about you and they stand behind you and want you to come back soon. I think that’s very good for any player, not just for me. It helps a lot.”

Once place Karius is yet to visit is what he’ll soon come regard as his home in footballing terms – Anfield.

When he does, however, he’ll be greeted by the sight of the club’s imposing brand new Main Stand, which will take the stadium’s capacity to 54,000.

“I haven’t been there yet, so it’s going to be every exciting – especially now with an even bigger stadium. I can’t wait,” Karius continued. “It’s going to be a new experience. I’ve heard all the people telling me about it, but when you experience it yourself it’s something different. I can’t wait for that.

“Of course, there are a lot of fans that all want us to be the best we can be so they try and help us as best they can. It’s unbelievable how far they travel and how many of them to support us, but in the end it is down to the players to achieve good things.

“We’re still in the early stages of the season so I think we should just take it from game to game. Hopefully then we can get on a good run, see where it goes and I hope we can do very well this season.

“We have the potential in our squad for sure, now it’s down to us.”