adminManager Brendan Rodgers blooded a number of academy graduates last season, but Gerrard says players like Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom cannot afford to live off their potential indefinitely.
“You only get described as a young lad for a certain amount of time and then it’s time to become a man and perform on a consistent basis,” the midfielder said. “There is great talent at the club at a young age; the manager has been trying to get a young group of players together that can perform well for him.
“It’s a big season for a lot of players — you look at (Raheem) Sterling and (Jordan) Henderson. Of course it’s a big season for every player we’ve got, but I think the supporters will be looking for the young lads to step up now, try to push people out of the way and become regulars in the team.
“I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what happens with those young players.”
Gerrard praised Rodgers for the eagerness he has shown to incorporate young players in the first-team set-up since arriving from Swansea City a year ago. “The manager is fantastic with the way he does it. He invites a lot of young players down to train with the team all the time,” Gerrard told Liverpool’s in-house television channel, LFC TV.
“It’s great experience to come down and play with the first team. When they come down permanently, they have sampled it and they know what they’re in for.
“I’m excited because if the young lads show the manager that they are good enough, he’s certainly shown to everyone that he’s not scared of playing them. It’s going to be exciting.” Former Reds’ striker Nicolas Anelka is ready to end his nomadic career at West Bromwich Albion after joining the Premier League club on an initial one-year contract, the French striker said on Friday.
The 34-year-old former France international numbers Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid among his previous clubs, but says he is ready to settle down at The Hawthorns. “I think I will finish in England. I’m happy here. I also hope that it will be with this club. I think this is the right club for me,” he told the club website.
“I’m 34 years old now and I want to enjoy my football. I hope everything will be perfect. I hope we will be successful this year and hopefully we will reach Europe. We will try to do better than last season.” Anelka previously worked with West Brom coach Steve Clarke at Chelsea and he said their relationship played an important role in his decision to come back to England after a brief stint at Juventus. “I know the club and I know the head coach, which was very important for me. He knows how to use me on the pitch, which is important later on in your career. I know he likes to play football and that’s why I signed here. He knows me and I know him. I also have friends in the changing room.”
West Brom finished a creditable eighth in the Premier League last season and Anelka hopes to bring further success to a club against whom he has scored five times in seven career appearances.
“I’ve always liked West Brom,” he said. “I have a lot of good memories of playing against West Brom, and now I have to do my best to score for West Brom. — AFP.
Online Reporter