Brendan Rodgers admits he has been hugely impressed with how quickly young defender Joe Gomez has settled into life at Liverpool.
Gomez, who only turned 18 in May, made his Premier League debut against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium last weekend following his £3.5m move from Charlton in June.
He acquitted himself well in the 1-0 victory after being selected at left-back ahead of Alberto Moreno and is primed to make his Anfield debut against Bournemouth on Monday.
Rodgers admitted he was considering letting Gomez go out on loan but quickly changed his mind after observing him in training.
"I felt comfortable (putting him in the team) as he had played games and was managed well at Charlton," Rodgers said.
"I wanted to assess where his pathway lay in terms of whether he needed a loan or needed to stay here and very quickly he showed me he could be a really important member of the squad.
"He can play in many positions, centre-half being the main one, but he has the flexibility and qualities to play at full-back so he is definitely a player who will add great value to our squad.
"What struck me when I met him was his maturity. He recognises his opportunity. When he was 15 or 16 he had the chance to move to bigger clubs than Charlton but he wanted to stay.
"He then had a decision to make in the summer with a number of high-profile clubs wanted to take him but he felt his best opportunity to develop and improve was coming to Liverpool.
"He has got into the team and I am sure there will be moments along the way when we need to manage him, but he knows there is a lot to learn yet.
"It is about assessing and managing where he is at."
Gomez first test in Premier League football was a stiff one with Stoke renowned as a difficult ground to travel to, as Liverpool found out in May when they were thrashed 6-1 by the Potters.
The teenage defender was up against wily veteran Jon Walters and was tested early and often by Mark Hughes’ men but Rodgers was pleased with how Gomez dealt with the challenge.
"For a player of 18 to make his Premier League debut away at Stoke, against an outstanding player in Jon Walters, with the experience he has, and cope as well as he did was impressive," Rodgers said.
"I thanked Jon after the game for giving him that experience and he spoke highly of him."
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