Charlie Adam has admitted that he tried to "impress" Steven Gerrard during his time with Liverpool.
Adam, who now plays for Stoke City, played for the Reds during the 2011-12 season, and revealed that he tried to make an impact when lining up alongside the England captain.
"Guys like Steven are the type of players you want to impress as they are iconic players at the club," Adam is quoted as saying in the Liverpool Echo.
"You don't play for Liverpool for the number of years that he has if you are not a good player. He is a great lad and it will be a challenge for me to come up against a player like that.
"I was fortunate enough to share a dressing room with him and to see him at close-quarters. It was an honour to play beside him. He is the best I've played beside, without a shadow of a doubt. He is probably one of the top players in the Premier League over the past 10 years."
Adam will square off against Gerrard this evening when England entertain Scotland at Wembley.
You can follow live commentary of this evening's match here.
Paul Gorst
