The Everton FC player spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview about settling in on Merseyside, the support from Evertonians and his new new book

It's fair to say Merlin Rohl isn't your traditional footballer. As football has evolved into a global behemoth in the modern age, it has become increasingly harder to get under the skin and understand a player away from the pitch.

But the German represents a refreshing outlier as the 24-year-old lives in the middle of the city in Aigburth, rather than a leafy Cheshire retreat chosen by many other Merseyside footballers. The former Freiburg player is also eager to show there's more to his personality than just football, as he is a keen photographer who has just released a new book titled Life With Everton.

The ECHO meets up with Rohl at the L17 branch of Crosby Coffee on the day he received the first physical copy of his work, which features images he captured from his debut season with the Toffees. Dressed in a plain white t-shirt with tousled brown hair, Rohl seamlessly fits into the surroundings of the coffee shop, and it's no surprise he has settled in this area as he carries himself just like one of the many other lads in their 20s who frequent Lark Lane.

While Rohl now feels at home in the Liverpool suburb, the adaptation process hasn't come without its challenges as he opened up on his move from Freiburg to Merseyside. He told us in an exclusive interview: "It's nice to hear that I'm settling in, but it took me some time. People in the dressing room know that I had some difficulties of moving to another country.

"I think everybody does, whether they come from Germany or a different country. I think you can see on the outside. It took me some adaptation from how my football level has been as it took some time to regularly be on the pitch. At the end of last season, I played more, and now in the beginning of this season I was starting.

"So that's really a great sign. On the other hand, it is a big part of me to fit in with the culture from the club and the language. But it's been a nice ride."

The decision to settle in Aigburth was initially motivated by the proximity to the Everton training ground at Finch Farm. But surrounding himself in an authentic area of Liverpool has had unintended benefits as it has given him a true understanding of what it means to live in the city and play for Everton.

He said: "When you join Everton, you need to understand how the club works, how all the goals from the people around the club are. That's why I really like to live in Liverpool, because I experience so much nice conversations with people around Lark Lane or Sefton Park or other areas in the city. That's why I really think it helps me to live here to understand the club and to understand where the people come from."

Surrounding himself with authentic Liverpool voices means Rohl has also got to grips with the Scouse accent and he has praised the welcome he has received from people in the city since he moved here. He said: "Everyone has just been so respectful and very nice to me."

He added: "I now feel completely comfortable, and I think the people around Finch Farm noticed there has been a change of how I interact with people, how comfortable I feel, how comfortable I feel with the language."

Being recognised on the street comes with the territory of being a Premier League footballer and Rohl laughed he sometimes hears his own name getting shouted, but one more chant is much more common. He said: "I will hear my name a few times on the street, sometimes it's just 'Up the Toffees.' That's the one I hear the most."

The extra attention and demands from representing a club like Everton was something Rohl had to get to used to since moving from Freiburg where the expectations are not so high. He said: "I try to explain to German people how big the club is and it's really hard from the outside to understand how massive this club is and how big our goals are. It's just so deep inside everyone that we just want to win every game, and that's really special.

"[Everton and Freiburg] are quite the opposite, to be honest. [Freiburg is] a very small club that is not big about what the goals and doesn't have so many achievements in the past, so like the pressure on the club is completely different compared to Everton now. So it's a really a change for me, but I really like it how it's been here, so that's maybe one thing that helps me to settle in.

"Sometimes when we just go with a draw in halftime, and the supporters are like really upset, and I'm just like thinking, 'OK, this club is so big, has such big expectations on all the players and everyone around'. From there on I just try to win every game."

The passion from the fans has inspired Rohl's creativity too as his photo of the welcome given to the players ahead of the 3 - 0 win against Chelsea in March provides the front cover of the book. The Blues are set to welcome Chelsea back to the Hill Dickinson in the 12:30pm kick off on Saturday and Rohl is hopeful David Moyes' side can maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

Moyes has made use of Rohl's versatility in central midfield and right back so far and the player is happy to help out whenever he can as he aims to establish himself in the XI this season. He said: "Everybody just heard from the outside that we had a difficult transfer window.

"But from there on, everyone just sticks together, and we had now a great run of games and we just try to keep going. For myself, I already started three games, that's really great. Now I've been back from injury, trying to work my way back into the team and hopefully I will play a lot in the future."

Rohl is hoping to develop as a footballer as he continues to explore his passion for photography away from the pitch. It was two years ago when his love for taking pictures was ignited and his new home city has proven to be the perfect muse for his budding passion.

He said: "I just started with a little camera and had an open mind. I just took photos, and I was not like thinking about like if they are good or bad. I was just really experiencing it living in the moment and enjoying it."

Lark Lane is a particular favourite spot to take pictures of, as he said: "The street is so special for photographs because you have so much going on, and it looks a little bit like a movie scene sometimes when you look at the little shops and all the different colours. And that's something that really inspires me."

As a footballer who is not shy about exploring his creative interests, Rohl is continuing the lineage set by Everton legend Leighton Baines. The German has followed in the footsteps of the former Blues left back by releasing a photo book and admits the 41-year-old is someone he admires.

He said: "[Baines] actually made a photo book a couple of years ago. And it was a big inspiration for me to create a photo book that I can gift to the players. It is way for the families behind the players can have a look at how our life really is."

However, Rohl doesn't want to just be seen as this generation's Baines, as the German is keen to show off his own individuality so fans can understand the person behind the football. He said: "I think sometimes [having an interest in photography] maybe comes across in the football world a little bit different, but that's also how it is in football.

"You have so many different characters and so many different personalities. Everybody just tries to be as honest and true to themselves. I just try to be as I am."

Merlin Rohl - Life With Everton is out now