“Made up” Owen Beck wants to repay Tony Docherty’s faith in him by taking Dundee up the Premiership table.
The Liverpool loanee made his comeback in dark blue at Pittodrie on Tuesday, picking up an assist for Lee Ashcroft’s second-half equaliser.
Beck was recalled by the Anfield club at the start of December due to an injury crisis at left-back and went on to make his Premier League debut at Bournemouth.
However, the return of first-choice Andy Robertson to fitness and Kostas Tsimikas also close to a comeback has seen that crisis ease.
And Beck is delighted to be back at the club where he shone so brightly in the first-half of the season.
“I’m made up to be back,” he said.
“It was good to get straight back into the game, a tough game but I think we did well.
“I thought I’d won it at the end, I’ve got to score that.
“I’m a bit disappointed in myself I didn’t. I’ve got to make sure I hit the back of the net or square it across goal to Curtis.
“I think I saw the headlines! It was one of them, I just dragged it a bit wide.
“Hopefully I can get a few more in the dark blue shirt.
“Coming back I’ve seen how strong the team is. There are a couple of new players in.
“The manager has done great. I think we have a real squad in here.”
Celtic and Rangers interest
Beck’s form in the first half of the campaign brought interest from Celtic and Rangers.
That was until the wing-back turned out for Liverpool at Bournemouth, meaning he couldn’t play for another club this season.
Despite that, the Wales U/21 international says he didn’t take much notice of the speculation.
And there was no convincing needed when a return to Dens Park was mooted.
“I don’t know. People speak about interest from other clubs but I just try to focus on the club I’m playing for,” he replied when asked about outside interest.
“It’s not really my job to listen to who might be interested in me.
“I speak to my agent but it was one of them where I was happy at Liverpool and when the opportunity came to get back to Dundee it was a no-brainer.”
Tony Docherty
That ‘no-brainer’ decision was down to a lot of factors.
Most prominent, though, was the relationship he’d built with Dundee boss Docherty in the first half of the campaign.
Beck credits the Dens gaffer for bringing the best out of him after a couple of failed loan moves to Bolton and Familicao in Portugal.
“After the season I had last year, I don’t think many managers would have taken the gamble on taking me on loan,” Beck admits.
“But to be fair to Tony he gave me a place to play and he’s had his trust in me ever since I walked through the door.
“I just have to repay him in my performances.
“I always remember at the start of the season I had a difficult game and he didn’t just put me on the bench.
“He sat me down and told me: ‘Look, I trust you’.
“That’s exactly what I needed at that moment in time.
“His trust has propelled me on to get success.”
Jurgen Klopp
Another manager Beck looks up to is obviously Jurgen Klopp.
He admits it’s “sad” for everyone at Liverpool to hear Klopp’s decision to leave the club in the summer.
But he was delighted to make his league debut for the club at Bournemouth.
“It’s something I’ve dreamed of ever since I was a kid,” he added.
“It’s the team I grew up supporting.
“To make my debut for the team I support while they are top of the league couldn’t have been more special.”
And what of that viral video of an animated Klopp talking to wide-eyed Beck on the bench?
“It was just something about positioning,” Beck laughed.
“It wasn’t anything. Just position talk.”
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