Roy Asks Shelvey To Emulate Gerrard

Roy Hodgson believes Jonjo Shelvey has the perfect role model at Melwood in his quest to become one of the country's top midfielders.
The 18-year-old was snapped up from Charlton this summer and has impressed fans with his dynamic style during appearances against Northampton and Napoli. His ability on the ball has seen Shelvey become England U19 captain - but Hodgson doesn't believe there is any danger of the youngster resting on his laurels. "He's very good. He's a player who's come here with the right attitude and humility," the manager told Liverpoolfc.tv. "He realises it's a massive step from getting in the Charlton first team early on and receiving a lot of plaudits. Those things earned him a move to Liverpool and he's come in and worked very hard. "He's got a lot of players around him who can help and be an inspiration to him. With the way he likes to play, the level of his passing and technical ability, I'm sure he's looking at Steven Gerrard and thinking, 'Could I become as good as that?' It's nice to have that kind of role model. "Jonjo is also a team player, as he has shown on several occasions by playing in different positions." Another hopeful to have caught Hodgson's eye is Nathan Eccleston, who has scored three goals in his last two reserve outings. "We're pleased with Nathan," said the boss. "He's done very well since I met him for the first time and worked with him in Switzerland. He made a good impression on me there and he's done well ever since. "It's not easy for him to break into the team but he'll continue to work at his game, and we think he's making good progress and becoming a better player by working with the first team every day." Liverpool have now adopted a policy of occasionally inviting Academy scholars to join in with first-team training. And Hodgson has a very clear message to those aspiring to become the next Gerrard or Torres. "What the young players have got to do is make sure they get into my eye line every time they train with us, or every time they play matches," he said. "Even when there is a match like Tuesday in Huddersfield when I couldn't be there, Sammy Lee was there watching them. "They've also got to be fairly patient, because if you're at a really top club with a lot of quality players, it's a lot harder to break in than it is at a club where the squad's a lot smaller and the players you're trying to replace aren't called Gerrard and Torres."