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Towards the end of his reign at Anfield, Rafael Benitez sought to revive Liverpool’s faltering academy.  After bringing in a number of new coaches and staff, Benitez began searching for the brightest young talent to add to the academy.  In 2010, Benitez paid Queens Park Rangers 500,000 for one Raheem Sterling, with the deal rising to 5 million based on appearances.  Liverpool’s academy was being revived with the best young English and European talent, but Kopites would have to wait almost two years to see their prodigy make his senior debut for the Reds.

Raheem Sterling was named to the Reds match-day squad when the Reds hosted Wigan at Anfield, a sigh of relief to Kopites who had been calling for their youth to be involved in the first team.  Sterling was introduced with six minutes remaining, much to the Kop’s delight.  The young Englishman nearly made an immediate impact after beating a man and sending in a cross to Martin Skrtel, who was tackled before getting a shot off.  Sterling showed a similar style of play to Suarez, and the two showed some combination play that would leave the Kop begging for more.

While Kenny Dalglish has publicly stated that he will not risk his young player’s well-being in an attempt to change his squad, Sterling’s cameo appearance could be a sign of things to come.  Sterling has scored at the U16 and U17 levels for England, and has received a letter of intent from Stuart Pearce for Team Great Britain for this summer’s Olympic Games.

Liverpool’s academy is full of young talent that has shown tremendous potential at the reserve and youth international level, and one can only hope it is a matter of time before they are unleashed into the first team.  With Liverpool’s Premier League campaign all but finished, there is hardly anything to lose.  In preparation for the next campaign, it may be in Liverpool’s best interest to begin molding the young guns.  Liverpool’s summer transfer business is sure to be restricted following the disappointment of this campaign, and the Reds best hope may come from within.  Sterling is just one of many to have potential to become the Reds next superstar, but the young Englishman, who has drawn comparisons with Liverpool legend John Barnes, could be the long-awaited answer to Liverpool’s winger problems.

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