Saturday, February 19, 2011

Kenny Dalglish Keeping His Feet On The Ground About Young Prodigy Raheem Sterling

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish remains cautiously optimistic about youngster Raheem Sterling, who will become the club's youngest ever player if he features against Sparta Prague on Thursday.

The Reds boss is keeping his feet on the ground when it comes to the youngster, so as not to let hype hurt the development of the prodigy.

And alongside Sterling, Dalglish has also selected John Flanagan, Conor Coady, Tom Ince and Jack Robinson from the youth team and he is keen to give them a taste of first-team life.

"You've got to be very, very responsible when you're talking about Raheem," Dalglish told reporters.

"It's fantastic for him to be involved as it is for the three other lads. Obviously Tom Ince has been involved before but for the four lads from the youth team it's a fantastic occasion.

"We want to make sure they feel part and parcel of the football club. They are here because they deserve to be here and maybe because of the injuries we've got at the moment it dictates that they are here.

"They've done very well but none of them will be carried away with the result the other night in the Youth Cup."

However, Dalglish is keen to ensure that the young stars keep their feet on the ground and don’t get too carried away.

"They have done very well and none of them will be carried away by the result in the Youth Cup," he said, referring to the 9-0 drubbing that the young Reds handed out to Southend.

"We will be sensible with the kids. We don't have to manage the expectations of anyone other than the media, they are the ones who have blown it out of proportion.

"Raheem might have got the praise for the performance the other night but there were a lot of people who deserved it."

The forward scored five goals in the Liverpool youth side’s incredible 9-0 FA Youth Cup win over Southend on Monday, which was the performance that earned him a spot in the senior squad for the trip to play Sparta Prague.

But the youngster's achievements do not surprise his former club Queens Park Rangers' head of youth development, Steve Gallen, who said in the Daily Mail: "We always knew he was good.

"He had many nicknames when he played for us. One of them was simply 'The Magician'. Another was 'Raheem Park Rangers' because sometimes he would carry the team on his own."

Gallen also recollected one of the youngster's performances at his former club, where he plied his trade until last season.

"I moved him up to the Under 16s when he was 14 and he was the best player on the pitch. He came on as a sub against Millwall and there was this long ball from the goalkeeper. He watched it drop over his shoulder and volleyed it straight into the top corner. I was glad no scouts were there that day.

"This became normal. His ability is frightening. Balance, speed, awareness. No-one I've ever seen compares to him. He's a fantastic player and I really hope he does well."

The head of youth development of Sterling's former club also maintained that the 16-year-old had no airs about him, and hailed the forward's focus when it comes to striving towards winning a game.

"I've seen England Under 16 kids walking around like they own the country but not this boy," Gallen said. "He's too focused on winning. I've seen him get smashed by some giants and he gets up and carries on. No histrionics. He's small but made of granite."

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