Soccer-Quansah left Liverpool to get more playing time

BURTON-UPON-TRENT, England Oct 6 (Reuters) – England defender Jarell Quansah left Liverpool for Germany's Bayer Leverkusen in search of more game time and a new challenge in a different environment, he said on Monday. The 22-year-old, who is in the England squad for two games this month, made 58 appearances for Liverpool but only four last season before signing a five-year contract with the Bundesliga club. "I just wanted to keep progressing in a way where, as a young centre back, you need games to improve," Quansah told a press conference at St. George's Park. "I've obviously been learning off some of the best players around me at the time at Liverpool, and being able to do that has been so good for my career. "But at this point in my career, I'm 22 turning 23 and I'm going to be needing hundreds of games to be where I want to be at the end of the day." LEVERKUSEN EVER PRESENT Quansah has played every minute of all nine Leverkusen games this season, and scored on his Bundesliga debut in a 2-1 win over Hoffenheim. "It's been good for myself to make that step and go abroad," Quansah said. "When you're at a team like Liverpool, it's not promised, because world-class players are all over the pitch. "I just wanted somewhere where I know they can trust that I might make mistakes at times and I can develop under that and just keep pushing and keep pushing." Quansah was part of the England team that won the European Under-21 Championship in June, and while he has been selected for five previous senior squads, he has yet to make his debut. "It is not a strange feeling, I'm really delighted to be here," he said. "Hopefully, it is something I will achieve, a cap for England." England host Wales in a friendly on Thursday at Wembley before heading to Riga to play Latvia in a World Cup qualifier on October 14. A victory combined with a draw in the match between Serbia and Albania would guarantee England qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada as group winners. (Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Ed Osmond)

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