'Raheem can make it difficult for Roy'
Steven Gerrard pulled Raheem Sterling to one side after Liverpool's 5-3 victory over Stoke City and challenged the winger to play his way into Roy Hodgson's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Sterling turned in another impressive display at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday, hurtling forward to win a penalty in the 51st minute, which Gerrard calmly slotted to hand the Reds a 3-2 lead.
The 19-year-old was typically bullish throughout, at a notoriously difficult venue - and afterwards, the captain backed Sterling to give England boss Hodgson a selection headache over the coming months.
Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo: "I said to Raheem after the game, 'You keep your performance at that level and you are going to make it very difficult for Roy Hodgson not to take you'.
"Hopefully he can build on the confidence from his recent performances and finish the season really strongly. He's in top form at a fantastic time.
"I'm obviously very disappointed for Theo Walcott with his injury but I'm sure Roy is looking out for who is going to replace him and Raheem's performances of late have been sensational.
"There are many candidates - Aaron Lennon is playing well, Andros Townsend, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is back. But if you are looking at like for like, pace and threat down the wing, someone who can make, score and create, then Raheem has got a fantastic chance.
"He's got all the tools to do it; it's up to him now. If you are a full-back you don't want to play against pace and especially when it's coming at you all the time.
"Raheem keeps going and going, even if he makes a mistake. He's a fit lad who is relentless and he's a team player too.
"Everyone knows Roy likes a wide player who can defend as well. He's got everything going for him. Now it's up to him to keep putting in that level of performance."
Stoke was Sterling's 10th consecutive start for the Reds since returning to the side against Hull City in early December. The youngster began the current campaign on the fringes of the first team, having featured sporadically throughout the second half of 2012-13.
Gerrard insists Sterling has underlined his quality by demonstrating the patience and perseverance necessary to battle back into the starting XI - and singled the forward out as one of Liverpool's current stand-out performers.
"You've got to understand his age," said Gerrard. "He's learning the game. He's got a fantastic manager to help him through that.
"He's only recently turned 19 and you are going to suffer a dip in form. Who doesn't have a dip at 18 years of age? But the mark of a good player and how good any player is going to be is how they come back from that.
"Can he react? To come back the way he has, he's been one of our most consistent players in the last couple of months. He's been brilliant."