The pair started together in their country's friendly defeat against Sweden on Wednesday, where Sterling debuted at  just 17 years and 341 days old, the fifth-youngest player ever to play for England.

Gerrard believes Sterling is poised for stardom, and contrasted his own footballing education to the Jamaican-born winger’s rapid ascent to the England team on Wednesday.

"When I was 17, I was an apprentice at Liverpool cleaning boots in the changing room," Gerrard told The Telegraph. "It goes to show how far he has come in a short space of time.

"I thought he was brilliant. He has learnt really quickly in a Liverpool shirt and he will do the same for England. It won’t be long before he is a regular and he is going to be a phenomenal talent."