Rossiter: I'm so grateful to Brendan for my chance
Jordan Rossiter has spoken of his determination to continue his progress at Liverpool and repay the faith manager Brendan Rodgers has shown in him.
The 18-year-old Scouser is now permanently training at Melwood and was rewarded for his efforts when he made his top-flight debut against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on August 24.
Speaking to FA.com, Rossiter said: “I’ve had a good pre-season and been working really hard to impress and luckily I managed to get my first Premier League appearance last week.
“The gaffer is great at Liverpool and he is always giving youngsters a chance.
"There were seven or eight of us that went away in pre-season with the first-team. You don’t see that as much with some other clubs but we know if we are doing things right on and off the pitch he is always willing to give us a chance.”
Gaining a place in the first-team squad has been a fitting reward for all the hard work the midfielder put himself through on the training field, after battling back from an ankle injury that saw him sit out the final three months of last season.
He added: “It’s been an up and down year for me.
"I made my debut last September and was in and around the first-team and felt that I was playing well.
"But then I had a disappointing injury to my ankle ligaments which kept me out from January until July. It was tough but I just had to work hard and make sure I got back."
Liverpool’s No.46 is currently away on international duty with England U19s ahead of their games with Germany on Friday and Croatia on Monday.
“It’s good to be back – I haven’t won a cap in about a year now so it’s great to be back with the boys and I’m looking forward to the next few days,” he said.
“As soon as I knew about these fixtures, I always wanted to be involved in the squad.
"It’s an honour to get picked and everybody knows what sort of game England and Germany is no matter at what age-group.
“Both games are going to be a huge test for us ahead of starting our Euro qualifiers next month but all the lads want to do well.”
Head coach Aidy Boothroyd has set his team a big incentive as they also have the chance of playing in the U19 World Cup, and Rossiter is keen to remain a big part of the squad.
He added: “Aidy spoke to us earlier this week about how exciting the next two years could be for us.
“Obviously we’ve got the Euros this year, and then if we do well enough we qualify for the World Cup in South Korea.
"That had all the lads buzzing and excited and we are just ready to get going now.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what happens. We are a very tight group of lads on and off the pitch and that team spirit can only help us going forward.”