Steven Gerrard has tipped Liverpool team-mate Raheem Sterling to break into the England team as a regular sooner rather than later.

The pair started together in the Three Lions’ friendly defeat against Sweden on Wednesday, where Sterling impressed as the third-youngest player to feature for the national team behind Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney.

The Reds’ and Three Lions’ captain explained that the 17-year-old is poised for stardom, and contrasted his own footballing education to the Jamaican-born winger’s rapid ascent to the England team on Wednesday.

“When I was 17, I was an apprentice at Liverpool cleaning boots in the changing room. It goes to show how far he has come in a short space of time,” he told The Telegraph.

“I thought he was brilliant. He has learnt really quickly in a Liverpool shirt and he will do the same for England. It won’t be long before he is a regular and he is going to be a phenomenal talent.”