Happy 18th Birthday Raheem Sterling

Michael Owen's pronouncement that he played too many games early on to the detriment of his later career has the warning bells ringing for Liverpool's modern day prodigy Raheem Sterling.

Owen enjoyed a prolific start to his Liverpool and England career. Enjoying a World Cup and a treble winning season before he was 22 catapulting him to the top of the game. But injuries had already begun to blight the his career. Who'll ever forget his crawling off the pitch in the 2006 World Cup with a debilitating knee injury. Was it over compensation in building up his leg muscles? We'll never know.

The former England star says "It is my genuine opinion I have become injury prone due to overplaying at a young age," he said. "In my case, I certainly feel like I played too much too soon.

Raheem Sterling 18 today

Young players will always want to play due to natural exuberance.  But take Ryan Giggs who has suffered with suspect hamstrings throughout his career, Ferguson's man management throughout has given him longevity. Giggs is still a member of United's squad in 2012 in his fortieth year, but by the time Owen approached his 24 birthday he had played over 300 games for Liverpool and England, where Giggs had played just 112. Owen said, "My body made me pay for pushing it to the limit too often. My hamstring snapped in two and it was at that point (March 1999 at Elland Road) that my ability to perform unimpeded was finished."

But lessons can be learnt. Raheem Sterling has started 22 out of 26 games and like Owen was in his day, is not just effective, but quite simply one of Liverpool's best players. Does that mean Rodgers has to play him in every game or should he ration his games with a view to the future?
 

At the moment the club is in a quandary. The foolhardy dealings in the last transfer market has forced the manager's hand. While it has shown that Liverpool has prodigious talent coming through the ranks with Suso, Wisdom, Sterling and the potentially brilliant Jordan Ibe champing at the bit, the lack of depth as only highlighted the need to bolster the first team.

Sterling is now a firm favourite with the Anfield faithful, but the reliance on the youngster is fraut with danger with a player only just turned 18. That's why it's so important to hear Brendan Rodgers sitting down with Sterling, not just in his contract negotiations, but with the aim to prolong his longevity in the game.
 

“I’ve talked at length to Raheem and gone through what I’d call the core elements of his ­development.
 

“First and foremost, there’s the commitment from us as a club to him, and, likewise, from him to us. “Then, after that, we’ve talked about the plan and the development, going forwards over this period of time.
 

“It’s then his responsibility to deliver. Because he’ll have all the tools here at Liverpool Football Club – one of the top football clubs in the world – in order to progress. But that is the responsibility of the player. "
 

“So there’s a plan in place for him – there’s a commitment there – and he’s a real good kid.

“It’s quite low profile, really. We just want to make sure it’s right for him and he feels it, and I believe he does. I will get it done sooner or later.”

Rodgers sees it as important to be there for his young players offering the experience and guidance of his 22 years in the game.
 

Michael Owen says he now cringes at his quote made while Gerard Houllier was attempted to rest him, he said at the time, "'I will rest when I'm 40.' Owen with all the experience and knowledge of a champion striker should, at almost 33 years of age, be moving into the last throes of a career with movement and guile intact terrifying defences. That he can barely string two games together is a warning in how to look after young talent.

Raheem Sterling is much converted around the league. On his 18th birthday today, if he wants to know about longevity in the game he only need speak to his club captain whose early years were blighted by injury and Jamie Carragher who has always been meticulous in his preparation and has never taken the gift of being a professional footballer for granted and according to Brendan Rodgers neither does Sterling.