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If Stamford Bridge witnessed a salute to Steven Gerrard’s past, it also saw a glimpse of Liverpool’s future.

“My 3 lil bro’s up top” tweeted Daniel Sturridge, watching on television from his recovery bed in New York.

The three players in question were Raheem Sterling, Jordon Ibe and Jerome Sinclair, Liverpool’s attacking triumvirate during the closing moments of a creditable 1-1 draw at champions Chelsea.

Sterling is 20. Ibe 19. Sinclair, the baby of the trio, making his Premier League debut from the bench at the age of 18.

As a passing of the baton, Gerrard departing to a standing ovation shortly after Sinclair had emerged for his Premier League debut was a striking and perhaps fitting image.

The Gerrard era is coming to an end. Now others must step up to the plate.

Sterling has become the figurehead for the next Anfield generation, with Ibe the latest to have made a sustained first-team breakthrough.

Sinclair, meanwhile, has already written his name into the Liverpool record books by becoming the youngest player to appear for the senior team, just 16 years 6 days old when emerging from the bench in the League Cup win at West Bromwich Albion in September 2012.

All three, though, haven’t risen through the youth ranks of the club’s Academy.

They were instead all bought in during their mid-teens: Sterling from Queens Park Rangers, Ibe from Wycombe Wanderers, Sinclair from West Brom.

The combined outlay was a mere £2million.

Today, Sterling alone is valued at a minimum £25m, coveted by, among others, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Ibe is about to sign a lucrative new contract believed to be worth around £2m a year.

And while Sinclair is at the beginning of his journey, much is expected of the forward.

Given their progress, then, it does beg the question of why Liverpool have seemingly dispensed with the strategy of recruiting the best English players at that young level.

That’s what the scouting system is for. And, as the above figures show, it makes much more sense to play the long game and pay low fees for youngsters who have a good chance of blossoming into senior professionals.

For Gerrard, meanwhile, the finishing line is in sight. Only his second goal in 40 appearances against Chelsea – he netted 135 goals in between those two strikes – it was the final word in a long-running battle against the Londoners.

While Gerrard is hailed as a product of the Academy system, he’d have come through regardless. The cream always rises to the top.

And, as Sterling, Ibe and now Sinclair have shown, there’s nothing wrong with paying to bring that in from elsewhere.