Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has promised to help Raheem Sterling as the teenager gets to grips with the pressures of first-team football.

The 17-year-old has been handed Premier League starts against both Manchester City and Arsenal, in addition to three outings in the Europa League.

And right-back Johnson has encouraged the Liverpool squad to support Sterling as the winger steps up his progression.

“We’ve got a great bunch of lads and everyone makes everyone feel welcome. Raheem is 17-years-old but you make him feel like one of the lads because he is and he deserves to be here,” Johnson told the club’s official website.

“It makes him feel more comfortable – and more comfortable when he’s going into games, which is going to help him and the team.”

Johnson recalled his first steps in football and the help that was afforded to him and acknowledges the same needs to be done with Sterling following the high praise he has received early in his career.

He continued: “You have to encourage the young lads. When I first came through, I had people like Stuart Pearce and other big players helping me.

“Raheem is a fantastic player as it is, so if he keeps working hard and doing the right things, he’s going to be a great player.”

Meanwhile defender Daniel Agger is confident the team can recover from their poor early season form and achieve their goals for the season.

Liverpool have taken just one point from a possible nine, but the Danish centre-back firmly believes there is sufficient talent within the squad to turn their fortunes around.

Agger told the Liverpool Echo: “I’m still upbeat about the quality in the group. Everybody has to believe in it, otherwise they shouldn’t be at a club like this.

“Nothing is easy to fix – not in football and not in life – but we are working on the manager’s ideas every single day, so hopefully we can get better and better during the course of the season.

“We are trying everything we can and we have to get the best out of the squad that we have.”