Liverpool's Joe Gomez "thankful" to Brendan Rodgers for giving him PL start

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has expressed gratitude towards manager Brendan Rodgers for giving him his Premier League debut against Stoke City on Sunday.

The 18-year-old, who joined the Reds from Charlton Athletic in the summer, started at left-back in the Merseyside outfit's 1-0 win over the Potters at the Britannia Stadium.

"It was a great experience and obviously getting the win at the end made it better," Gomez told the club's official website. "The last few months, I would never have dreamed that I'd get the opportunity as quickly as I have.

"It's just thanks to the team and the gaffer for giving me the opportunity to play, but it was a good result for the team and that's the main thing.

"One of the reasons I wanted to come to Liverpool is because Brendan is such a great manager giving young players opportunities and I'm thankful for that."

Gomez was one of four summer signings, including James Milner, Nathaniel Clyne and Christian Benteke, to make their competitive Liverpool full debuts at the weekend.