It's not every day youngsters will be likened to legends such as Steven Gerrard, but Jordan Rossiter was regarded by many as one of the most exciting talents to emerge from Liverpool's academy between 2014 and 2016.
Jamie Carragher once said the midfielder had "a bit of steel and character that me and Stevie (Gerrard) had”, while another Reds great Robbie Fowler claimed he's “potentially a young Stevie G." If his senior debut against Middlesbrough in the League Cup back in 2014 was anything to go by, a first team breakthrough looked imminent.
Within 10 minutes, in front of a packed Anfield crowd, the then-17-year-old gave the Reds an early lead and they went on to progress after a dramatic penalty shootout. Manager Brendan Rodgers gave Rossiter his chance and he duly delivered.
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But it wasn't to be for the Liverpool-born academy star, who captained both the club and England at youth level.
He went on to make just five senior appearances for Liverpool before the club parted ways with Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp was appointed. Rossiter was sidelined with a hamstring injury at the time of his arrival, providing the worst possible start to life under a new manager.
He'd previously trained alongside the likes of Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson and James Milner, but he recognised the competition for places was extremely high and opted to move on when his contract expired in 2016.
“You’ve got to be honest with yourself,” Rossiter told The Athletic back in 2020. “I was training under Klopp, but not really making an impact.
“The reality was that I wasn’t going to be good enough to play every week at a huge club like Liverpool. Look at the names I was up against. The bar was set so high. We’re talking top pros. There’s no point kidding yourself. They were on a different level. I knew I needed to drop down a level or two. I thought I’d have a better chance of playing regularly at Rangers."
His time at Ibrox with Rangers was also hampered by injuries and he made just 16 appearances while at the Scottish Premiership club. Although, he did once again work alongside Liverpool legend Gerrard, who managed Rangers between 2018 and 2021.
The pair sat alongside each other at a press conference in 2018 and Gerrard snapped at reporters after a question was directed at Rossiter, asking what impact the manager's warning about players needing to perform had on the squad after Rangers were sent crashing out of the Betfred Cup.
Before the midfielder had even begun his response, Gerrard cut in.
"I’ll answer that," he said. "It’s a warning. That’s for me – not him. He’s been injured for two years. At a big club, we expect big players to step up on big occasions and provide big moments. If that doesn’t happen, at any big club, the managers and the recruitment will find better players or players who will do that."
In 2019, Rossiter was sent out on loan to Bury and then Fleetwood the following season, who he then joined permanently on a free transfer in August 2020.
Now, aged 25, he has made over 60 appearances for Fleetwood and is under contract until 2023. His injury struggles, though, continue to frustrate him as he's featured in just 10 League one games this season.
