I left Liverpool for Rangers after being saluted as the next Steven Gerrard - now I'm playing in League One

It's hard enough for a young player to make the grade at a club the size of Liverpool. So the last thing any up-and-coming youngster needs is to hear his name being compared with the legendary Steven Gerrard.

In retrospect, Robbie Fowler should have known better than to heap more pressure on the shoulders of the hottest academy prospect at Anfield. The comparisons were easy to make. A tough-tackling tenacious midfielder, Jordan Rossiter was climbing his way up the ranks at Liverpool and like many of his academy teammates, had probably dreamt of following Gerrard's footsteps to worldwide stardom - even if he did grow up as an Everton fan.

The early signs were promising. By the age of 16, Rossiter had become a permanent fixture in Liverpool's Under-21 Premier League side and won the club's prestigious Academy Player of the Year award. The sky was the limit and he was beginning to live up to Fowler's earlier hype as the former Kop favourite declared: "Big shout, but potentially a young Stevie G. He's a very good player."

After being promoted to first-team training, Rossiter marked a dream debut for the Reds by scoring in the 2014 EFL Cup third round win over Middlesbrough, becoming the club's second youngest goalscorer behind Michael Owen. He was the name on every fan's lips but just months later, the youngster's season was cruelly curtailed by an ankle blow suffered in an FA Youth Cup game. It was to become the story of Rossiter's career.

The promising midfielder bounced back for pre-season under Brendan Rodgers, earning some further minutes in the Premier League and Europa League, before a recurring hamstring issue led to an extended period on the sidelines. Despite being regarded as one of the most talented youngsters at