Napoli coach Rafa Benitez has urged Liverpool not to give too much too soon to Raheem Sterling.
Benitez helped Liverpool land the former QPR junior while manager at Anfield.
As Liverpool head into their first Champions League campaign since 2009-10, Reds' boss Brendan Rodgers has spoken about young players having too much too soon.
Although Sterling is in line for a new contract, the Ulsterman is taking a softly-softly approach and Benitez agrees that it is a difficult balance to strike.
He said: "This is a big risk - a big problem in modern football. How to protect and look after them. They are still learning and you need to keep them focused.
"In the past, they did not receive the same exposure. Now, everyone knows about them. They are on computer games. There is television coverage. They have agents talking to them.
"It is easy for them to become distracted. And it is far more difficult to control the environment of a player. But Raheem has all the qualities. It is in his hands. In the end, only he can decide which way he is going to go."
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