Steven Gerrard: 'Liverpool's Rhian Brewster must focus on short-term progress'

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has encouraged Rhian Brewster to focus on his short-term development after his heroics for England in the Under-17 World Cup.

Brewster scored hat-tricks in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals, before a goal in the final helped England record a dramatic 5-2 victory over Spain.

The youngster has been tipped to have a bright future but Gerrard - now the boss of Liverpool's Under-18 side - has told Brewster to concentrate on trying to make an impression in the Under-23 setup before thinking about a role in Jurgen Klopp's team.

The 37-year-old is quoted by BBC Sport as saying: "The message for Rhian is, 'Well done. You've been superb and deserve all the plaudits you get. How do you improve now?'.

"We want Rhian Brewster in a successful Liverpool team. We want him firing for the Under-23s and, basically, making sure Jurgen is taking notice of his performances - that's all he can do.

"I think if he's got any dreams and aspirations of playing higher than that level then he needs to play at a consistent level and score goals heavily. That's how first-team managers take note."

Liverpool are likely to shun offers from Football League clubs who want to take Brewster on loan during the January transfer window.