THE last time Steven Gerrard sat beside Jordan Rossiter at a press conference, he interrupted his player to deliver a rebuke to a journalist. This week, he let the midfielder speak for himself, and he might have been wishing he had allowed him to do so sooner such was the glowing appraisal he delivered of his manager.

Rossiter was just a boy trying to make his way in the game at Liverpool when Gerrard was not only the captain of his hometown club, but the captain of his country and a global superstar. According to Rossiter though, you would never have known it, and the 21-year-old isn’t surprised in the slightest that he has conducted himself with the same class and personable touch since becoming manager of Rangers as he did when he was one of the world’s top players.

“He was fantastic,” said Rossiter. “I remember the first time I trained at Melwood and he was brilliant with me. I learned so much off him training with him every day and hopefully I’ll learn so much more under him as a manager.

“He was always approachable when I was there, and I have heard so many other stories as well. He was even approachable around the city as well.

“I think any academy player coming into the first team is going to be in awe. He was first class as a player and has been first class as a manager.

“Of course, you are trying to impress him. That would be the same for whoever is in charge of this football club. I want to play every minute of every game and hopefully that will come at some point.

“It is special to play under him. There are a few more Scouse accents knocking about than there has been over the past few years. But, even without them, it is an unbelievable club. I’m just lucky to be a part of it.”

For Rossiter more than most, those words ring true. His horrendous injury problems since making the move to Rangers over two years ago have been well-documented, but he finally appears to be in a place to make a regular contribution to the cause.

“I’ve never really been a regular week to week player in my career,” he said. “That’s what I need to aim for although I understand there is a lot of competition. But, there are a lot of games to be played and I feel I can be a part of this club.

“Physically and mentally I’m in the best place I’ve been for a good few years. I just need to keep staying fit and available for selection and if my chance does come it’s up to me to take it.

“I’ve lost two years of my career basically and I need to get that back. Playing a lot of football when you are young is important for your career, for your development, and I’ve missed that out."

The supporters, certainly, have never lost faith in Rossiter, and he is blown away by their goodwill towards him despite his long spells on the sidelines.

“Since I’ve been here the fans have been brilliant,” he said. “I can’t speak highly enough of them. They have given me so much support although I don’t know if I deserve it after two years of injury. I have never had a bad word said to me. I just want to repay them as well as the club.

“This is one of the best clubs in the world. This is where I want to be playing my football. The fans are a big part of it and one of the main reasons I came up here in the first place.”

Another man who maintains faith in Rossiter is Gerrard himself. The Rangers manager still sees promise in the kid he first clapped eyes on at Melwood all those years ago, and while he is careful of managing his workload, he believes the midfielder can play an important role in the season.

“I’m here to support him,” Gerrard said. “He’s my player, he’s a good player, whose had a really tough time. But I think it’s important that we don’t keep talking about that tough time. We are hoping that’s behind him now. He’s repeating training sessions, he’s been available.

“I think he can do a bit of everything very well. He’s very fit, in terms of endurance, so he hits big numbers and covers a lot of grass. He’s nearly as good at tackling as me. He can pass the ball short and long, he’s honest, I trust him.

“He’s up for it; he’s my style of player who’ll empty it for you. So, he’s just got to be patient and let it happen and it’ll come. There’s a lot of football to be played from now till the end of the season. He’ll get a lot more appearances this season if he’s looked after himself than he got over the previous two seasons.

“That’ll be a good platform for him to move forward, in my opinion. He’ll disagree because he wants to play every game. That’s the way he is, I know the kid.”