Adam Lallana responds to retirement question after Brighton, Liverpool and Southampton career

Few players have had the playing career of Brighton’s veteran midfielder Adam Lallana.

The 35-year-old made his name at Southampton under Mauricio Pochettino, before moving to Liverpool for around £25m in 2014. Despite a number of injuries, he was a key figure for Jurgen Klopp’s team and helped them to Champions League and Premier League titles, the Fifa Club World Cup and the Uefa Super Cup.

The 34-cap England international then moved to Brighton on a free transfer in 2020 and his influence on and off the pitch has helped Albion establish themselves as one of the top teams in the Premier League and also in the Europa League.

His contribution on the pitch has though been hindered by ongoing injuries and progress towards a coaching career seems a natural step for Lallana, who helped coach the England under-21s last year.

Lallana is taking his coaching badges alongside the final stages of his playing career and his contract with the Seagulls expires June this year, where the club and he will have a major decision to make.

"I will get to the end of the season first and see what happens,” he said to the Albion website. “I'm not sure if this will be my last year playing, but that is a conversation later in the season... I'm not taking anything for granted."

Klopp once described Lallana as the most influential player in the dressing room, former Brighton boss Graham Potter hailed his contribution to the younger players and setting standards in training, while Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi is just as impressed and Lallana has been shadowing the Italian and learning what it takes to coach in the top flight.

"[Interest in coaching] started at Liverpool,” he added. “I had injuries and you start to see the game differently. You start to think you might not always be a player and then you get to your 30s and it is coming to an end sooner or later, so you start thinking differently. Getting your message across and helping young players.

"At some stage you have to learn on the job. You say to me here do I want to be a coach. It sounds nice but until you do it and taste, you are not sure.”

Brighton return to Premier League action this Monday against Wolves at the Amex and De Zerbi could turn to Lallana’s experience at some stage of the match. He was used from the bench in the 4-2 FA Cup win at Stoke City and should be available for selection following a period of warm-weather training in Dubai.