High praise indeed.
Steven Gerrard has issued a glowing endorsement of one of his U18 stars and admits that he won’t have young Adam Lewis available for selection for much longer given how well he’s performed this season.
Gerrard has claimed that the left wing back is better than any player he’s seen at his age in terms of attacking prowess and the Reds legend has predicted that a senior call-up isn’t too far away.
“Adam’s been doing it for us all season long. I’m been singing his praises all along,” Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo after his side’s dramatic victory over Sunderland.
A look at #LFC youngster Adam Lewis who is taking the Academy by storm and earning rave reviews from Steven Gerrardhttps://t.co/0VDvmx477y
— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) November 27, 2017
“If Adam can keep his consistency up I don’t think he’ll be around this team much longer.
“I want to keep him for as long as I can but for me he’s such a threat on the left side.
“Going forward, I haven’t seen anyone as good as him at that age in terms of quality and what he can deliver in the final third.”
While Jurgen Klopp has continued to back his current first-choice left back Alberto Moreno after his struggles in recent weeks, a long-term solution for the left side of his defence must be something the German would appreciate.
Moreno received the brunt of the blame for Liverpool’s Champions League collapse against Sevilla last week and his defensive shortcomings continue to leave supporters concerned on every occasion that he is stood up against an opposition winger.
"I don’t think a run of seven, eight games should cloud people’s judgement of what you think of him as a player" https://t.co/j57Zm11klF
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) November 22, 2017
The Spaniard has definitely improved on his performances from previous seasons but, still, he remains a liability at times.
If Adam Lewis continues doing what he’s doing this season then it’s only a matter of time before Klopp comes knocking at Gerrard’s door and lets him know that the 18-year-old is ready for the step up.
“My dream is to play for the first team one day, and maybe playing at left-back there is a chance for me in the future if I continue to get stronger and do well,” Lewis told the club’s website earlier this year.
“I just love playing the game and this club means everything to me. I love making tackles and I hate losing. I always want to win and that is the mentality we have with this group.”