Steven Gerrard has challenged Liverpool's rising stars to fulfil their promise and compete for a regular first-team place. The England and Liverpool skipper said: "You only get described as a young lad for a certain amount of time and then it's time to become a man and perform on a consistent basis.

"There is great talent at the club at a young age; the manager has been trying to get a young group of players together that can perform well for him.

"It's a big season for a lot of players - you look at (Raheem) Sterling and (Jordan) Henderson.

"Of course it's a big season for every player we've got, but I think the supporters will be looking for the young lads to step up now, try to push people out of the way and become regulars in the team.

"I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what happens with those young players."