'Raheem? This was meant to be'
The man who helped nurture Raheem Sterling has explained how he always knew the youngster was destined to become a Barclays Premier League star.
Head of Academy coaching Rodolfo Borrell was the man who gave Sterling his Reds debut of sorts when, aged 16, he netted for the U18s during a 4-3 win over Everton at Finch Farm.
On Friday the teenager put his signature on a long-term contract at the club after impressing during 25 appearances this season - and Borrell insists there is a lot more to come from him in a red shirt.
Recalling the first time he set eyes on the youngster, Borrell told Liverpoolfc.com: "I always felt he would play in the Premier League.
"With my experience of watching many players at a young age and understanding what you need to have to play in the first team, for me it was very clear with Raheem.
"I have been very lucky to have been his first coach at Liverpool and his only one at youth level at this club.
"I would also like to say there have been many people working behind the scenes with Raheem in order to put on track not only the football side but his private life, which is very important - his overall environment.
"From a football point of view as soon as I saw him obviously he was a very pacy player, skilful, and had the capacity to score goals. He is not very big but he is very brave which is very important."
Borrell was also keen to point out a key attribute the England international possesses, which is his willingness to listen to advice and take that out on the pitch.
He added: "When I first saw Raheem he had natural talent, a lot of it, but he had to understand he had to put that talent for the benefit of the team.
"He had to be more disciplined and improve from a defensive point of view. In his last season with the reserve team he improved this a lot.
"Raheem is very open minded when you talk to him. He really listens to you and he understands what is really good for him. He has a fantastic character.
"Sometimes you have a player with a huge talent but they just don't want to listen and that is a huge mistake. That's not the case with Raheem.
"As soon as I saw him he had fantastic characteristics and it was just a case of helping him with a couple of small details with his game, but he was meant to be a Premier League player - that was very clear to me."