Rickie Lambert admits his difficult spell at Liverpool led to him "falling out of love" with the game.

The former England striker hung up his boots this week after struggling with a back problem.

Lambert enjoyed a meteoric rise through the leagues, which saw him join boyhood club Liverpool from Southampton, after playing for England at the World Cup.

But his spell at Anfield was bittersweet and Lambert admits he should never have settled for a back-up role.

Lambert celebrates after scoring (
Image:
John Powell)
Rickie Lambert scores for England (
Image:
Getty)

"I was getting well paid but I never started playing football for the money. I started to fall out of love with it. I never should have accepted being on the bench, even though Brendan Rodgers had made it clear to me I would be back-up for Suarez and Sturridge," he told the Mail.

"When I joined up with England I felt lucky to be there, and it was the same at Liverpool. And when I look back now I realise I lost something mentally as a player, by allowing that to happen."

Lambert admits the best football came under Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton.

And the 35-year-old admits it is no surprise to see Harry Kane flourishing under the Argentine at Spurs.

He added: "Mauricio would have seen Harry, worked out his weaknesses and improved him as a player. He goes into so much detail. The year I played under Mauricio was the best football I ever played."