Young defender Andre Wisdom has “all the qualities” to succeed at Liverpool according to Brendan Rodgers, who has explained the importance of learning from senior players.
The 19-year-old made a special start to his senior Reds career, scoring a crucial goal in his debut during the 5-3 UEFA Europa League victory over Young Boys last Thursday.
Rodgers was impressed by more than just Wisdom’s strike, however, and claimed that the youngster has exactly the right attributes to suit the club’s style of play.
“It’s always good when you put young players in and you see how they react,” the manager told Liverpoolfc.com. “I thought Andre Wisdom at right back was excellent. He’s got all the qualities that I believe will set him up to have a very good career.
“He’s quick, he’s strong and he passes the ball well, which is going to be important for us at this club and always has been. I thought he was a real positive note [against Young Boys].”
Wisdom was helped by a wealth of experience alongside him in Switzerland, with Jamie Carragher, Sebastian Coates and Jose Enrique making up the back four.
Rodgers believes that learning directly from senior colleagues — Carragher in particular — in competitive action is a significant part of any player’s development.
“It is critical,” the boss said. “The likes of Andre Wisdom look up so much to guys like Jamie Carragher, and to be on the same field as him and learning from his experience and leadership qualities is very, very important.
“Sometimes as a coach, you can coach players, you can talk with them, you can educate them, but when they go out onto the field, if they’ve got top players around them that can also help them manage the game from the inside.
“Guys like Carra are top class at that and, for me, your young players are only as good as your senior players.”
