Manuel Pellegrini wanted Adrian Lopez to stay at West Ham United

West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that he did not want goalkeeper Adrian Lopez to leave the club this summer.

The Spaniard, who left West Ham as a free agent, completed a free transfer to Liverpool earlier this month following an injury to Alisson Becker and Simon Mignolet's move to Club Brugge.

Adrian was immediately thrust into the spotlight for the UEFA Super Cup win over Chelsea, during which he saved Tammy Abraham's key penalty to win the shootout for Jurgen Klopp's side.

Speaking to the Daily Mail about Adrian's immediate success at Liverpool, Pellegrini said: "I'm very happy for him, because he played a lot of years here at West Ham. He's a very good goalkeeper.

"For different reasons he couldn't find an arrangement to continue here. We wanted him here because not only is he a good goalkeeper but he is a good player for the squad.

"He signed for Liverpool and put in a very good performance and I'm happy for him."

Adrian has attracted instant popularity at Liverpool, with Klopp enthusiastically praising his new keeper and likening him to film character Rocky Balboa after the victory in Istanbul.

The 32-year-old is set to make his first Premier League appearance for the Reds as they meet Southampton at St Mary's on Saturday afternoon.