Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia is backing fellow Finn Lauri Dalla Valle for a big future at Anfield.

"One of the names for the future is Lauri Dalla Valle," Hyypia told LFC Magazine.

"It seems that the young man has the talent, patience and commitment to do well. With a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, I think he could go on to do great things.

"I first noticed his name in an article in 'Urheilulehti', a Finnish newspaper, where reporters had made a list of the most promising players over there.

"He doesn't have a typical Finnish name, which might be one of the reasons why the name stuck in my mind, but I won't be forgetting it now because I had the pleasure of meeting him recently.

"I met him and his father and they both understood what a big move this is, especially at that age. It seemed clear to both of them what a big challenge it is to go from an Academy player to a first team player in such a big club."