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Sport

10th Jan 2016

New Liverpool signing reveals a phobia almost prevented him joining the club

Luckily he overcame it

Robert Redmond

No, Manchester United fans, he doesn’t suffer from trophy-itis.

Marko Grujic has revealed that his fear of small spaces almost cost him a move to Liverpool.

The Serbian midfielder became Jurgen Klopp’s first signing earlier this week, joining the club from Red Star Belgrade in a deal worth £5.1 million.

Grujic will spend the rest of the season on-loan with Red Star, but has revealed that his switch to Anfield almost didn’t happened because of claustrophobia.

New signings are required to undergo a MRI scan during a medical, but the thought of spending time in a small space almost put the 19-year-old off completing the deal.

“I am very claustrophobic, so it was very scary for me to lie for one hour in the dark in the MRI scanner,” Grujic told the Liverpool Echo.

“When I heard that the MRI scan was compulsory, I was very close to saying that I didn’t want to do it! I was really afraid. I couldn’t stay inside it for one minute!

“I called the doctor and raised a bit of panic so they were persuading me for around 20 minutes before I finally accepted to go inside it again. Finally, I bit the bullet and I got on with it. They made some special conditions for me.

“After that, I went to Melwood, signed the deals and they took photos of me.”