Jonjo on Stevie & England dreams
Jonjo Shelvey has spoken of his ambition to one day join Steven Gerrard in the England team - two years after our club captain left him dumbstruck on his first day at Melwood.
The Romford-born midfielder capped an impressive start to the 2012-13 campaign with a goal and an assist for England U21s in Azerbaijan last week, and he hopes to one day deliver similar performances for the seniors.
If he was to go on to play alongside Gerrard for the Three Lions, it would be a remarkable moment for a player who, upon signing for Liverpool in May 2010, could not believe he was sharing a dressing room with our No.8.
"When I first joined Liverpool, I went up to see what the place was like and have a good look around the training ground," Shelvey told the Daily Mail.
"We were on the tour and I had just met Rafa Benitez, when I was told to walk into one of the changing rooms. All of a sudden, Stevie is standing there, waiting to say hello.
"I'd grown up watching him, so to see him in front of me I was thinking, 'Jeez, is this for real?'
"A few months later we were playing against a great Napoli side in the Europa League. We were losing 1-0 and he came on and scored a hat-trick in 45 minutes. It was unbelievable. He's the same off the pitch, a great man."
Shelvey has made good strides over the past two seasons, both on the field for Liverpool and in his ability to not be quite so awestruck by Gerrard, with whom he now plays golf. He even boasts that 'I've beaten him a few times', but there is little danger of the 20-year-old getting carried away with it all.
"Stevie is a great role model," said Shelvey, who once stood outside West Ham's training ground waiting for autographs from players like Joe Cole.
"He's been doing it for club and country for years. The way he plays is fantastic and to have him as my captain is immense.
"He leads by example. It's those times when we have been searching for a crucial goal and he's dug in to get us out of difficulty."
Shelvey is one of a host of Liverpool youngsters hoping to join Gerrard in Roy Hodgson's England squad, but while he was delighted to impress for the U21s last week, he knows he has a long way to go.
"It was important to try and show the gaffer what I can do and it was nice to be involved with the goals," said Shelvey. "I want to play when I come on these trips.
"There is nothing worse than leaving your family behind, training all week and then not getting selected.
"I haven't started too many games for the U21s, so it was nice to get the goal and set the other up.
"I've had a good summer and the new manager at Liverpool has shown that he is going to give young players a lot of opportunities. It's going to benefit me, Kells, Raheem and Hendo (Jordan Henderson).
"The past year has been very good but it is not something that you can rest on.
"I was watching the Euros during the summer and it just makes you want to get to that level. It was great that Hendo and Kells travelled with the team and were part of that. It's not every day you see your mates play for England.
"But you need to push yourself and I want to get to that level."