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Joao Carlos Teixeira says Brendan Rodgers makes the Liverpool FC players feel 10ft tall – and has labelled the Reds boss as a master motivator.

The young Portugal playmaker made his first-team debut during a tense battle with Fulham in February with the game tied at 2-2.

Teixeira was thrown in at the deep end with eight minutes left but insists the backing of Rodgers meant he entered the fray at Craven Cottage free of nerves.

Steven Gerrard’s last gasp penalty won the game for Liverpool but 21-year-old Teixeira received praise from his manager and team-mates after a telling cameo in London.

It was the youngster’s through-ball to Daniel Sturridge that led to the penalty and Teixeira also made a vital block in the dying moments as Fulham poured forward looking for the equaliser.

Teixeira described the game as the best moment of his career and he hopes to play a greater role in the first-team next season.

And with the constant support of his manager, the former Sporting Lisbon star believes he can make an impact at Anfield.

“He is an amazing person,” Teixeira said of Rodgers.

“A really intelligent guy about football. He knows how to talk with the players to get everything from them. He is great with motivating the players as well.

“Hopefully next season everything goes right and I will be in the first-team more.

“Next season we will have more competitions – like the Champions League – and hopefully I will have more chance to be part of the first-team.

“But it has still been great this season. I have been training with the best and it has been great to be part of this team. It is a great group, with nice people, and I am enjoying it even more we are challenging for the title.”

“Fulham was a great moment and my best moment in football,” he added.

“It was great to play in the Premier League – the best league in the world – and we won three points in the last minute. It was the highest point in my career.

“Brendan told me to go on, be confident and to try and score. I was on the bench thinking ‘maybe I will get on’.

“I was happy with the way I played.”

One of the most memorable images from the game with Fulham was Reds skipper Gerrard praising Teixeira after a brave block.

“Steven was telling me it was ‘great’ what I had done when I came on and that only made me happier because Steven Gerrard was telling me I had done well,” said the youngster.

“I learn the most off Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho.

“Me and Philippe play in similar positions and are similar players.”

Teixeira was speaking to the ECHO at a Liverpool FC Foundation Men’s Health session at the North Liverpool Academy.

The scheme aims to help local males improve their health and well-being and Teixeira was on hand to watch the group play five-a-side football and take part in circuit training.

Fitness has been a significant part of his regime since joining from Sporting in January 2012 for £830,000.

“When you move into the first-team the game changes because it is faster, more physical and better technically,” he said.

“So you have to improve all your attributes. You have to improve your technique and how strong you are.

“In Portugal we start playing five versus five games and so that’s where you learn the technique.”

Teixeira came to Liverpool’s attention after he starred in a NexGen Series game at Anfield.

The Reds soon swooped for the talented playmaker but the Braga native says that life in England has taken some adjusting to.

“When you move, the language, culture, food and the weather is different. So you have to adapt,” he added. “When I first came, I had a problem with my back and did my rehab here.

“So in those first few months that I was here I wasn’t playing or training because I had to wear a brace. But in that time I also learnt English and also got used to the weather – because it rains a lot.”

Liverpool Foundation Men's Health programme

LIVERPOOL’S Men’s Health programme has been described as a “cornerstone” of the work done by the club’s Foundation.

The Reds started the scheme around nine years ago in a bid to help tackle the factors leading to the poor health of males in the local area.

Head of Operations Mark Haig says that in some parts of the city men are dying aged just 64 because of poor lifestyle choices.

The Foundation aims to use the appeal of Liverpool FC to help educate those who suffer from poor diet, obesity and a range of other issues.

“The Men’s Health programme is one of our cornerstones,” said Haig.

“We have four: Men’s Health, Football and Sports Development, Military Veterans and our International programme.

“This is a very, very important one. It engages men in the city using the power of the badge.

“The health of men in our area and community around the city is very, very poor and in some parts men are dying at 64 or 65.

“So with a few lifestyle changes, people could be here for a lot longer.

“We know from our work with the local NHS that men are more likely to come to us because of the badge and take part in activities.

“It makes them feel connected to the club and part of the club.”

The programme began receiving funding in 2007 from the Premier League and continues to thrive in the city.

Haig says they collect basic data from participants to help them offer the right advice but some anecdotal evidence can be the most compelling.

“We will listen to the men and ask them what they want to do to,” he added.

“They don’t want to be preached to and spoken to like children.

“They want to do sport, they want to do football and they want information, but with a soft touch, and they will follow it through themselves. But we get letters from people saying ‘thanks for giving my dad back’.

“The Liverpool FC Foundation being asked to deliver on their behalf because of the power of the badge.”