Wisdom: How the gaffer helped me
Liverpool defender Andre Wisdom has revealed his gratitude for the show of support from Brendan Rodgers during the youngster's loan spell with Derby County last season.
The 21-year-old is aiming to build on an impressive showing, which saw him become a regular in Steve McClaren's side as they reached the Championship play-off final, where they lost to a late Queens Park Rangers goal.
Wisdom has explained how Rodgers kept in constant touch with him during his loan stint and he admits it gave him a lot of confidence as he looks to achieve his Anfield dream.
"The gaffer has been really supportive," Wisdom told Liverpoolfc.com. "When I was at Derby he was always sending me good luck messages and telling me to stay confident, keep playing the way I was playing and try to express myself."
Wisdom believes he learned a lot during his time at Pride Park and was eager to pay tribute to McClaren and his team for the support he received.
He added: "I really enjoyed the loan at Derby. I learned a lot and it was a good experience, and I'm glad I'm back and I'm training well and trying to get my fitness back to its peak.
"Derby was really good for me because I played in all of their games - I think about 35 or 36 games in total. It was good to find a consistency in playing and the lads there helped me a lot.
"Derby have a good style of play and they like to pass the ball. In the Championship there are a lot of long balls and it's very physical, but Derby have some good players and I learned a lot about the tactical and positional side of my game.
"It was really good and I wish Derby all the best for the new season. We did really well last season when we got to the play-off final at Wembley and we lost in the final, but it was a good experience.
"There were around 80,000 people there so it's always great to play in front of a big crowd. It was a good game, unfortunately we didn't get there but I'm sure they will get there this season.
"It's always a taster [of big games] but it was a difficult one because we dominated the game so much and for them to get the late winner, it was more disappointing than maybe it would have been had we suffered a heavy defeat. It was a good experience, I'll learn from it and I'm sure they will also."
The England U21 captain is now back at Melwood and featured in the first pre-season friendly in Brondby on Wednesday night as he stakes his claim for a regular berth in the squad.
He said: "It's always a time to impress in every training session and every opportunity you get to play or train in front of the manager. It's always good to show what you can do and what you are capable of doing."