Brendan Rodgers can still vividly recall the day when a 17-year-old Raheem Sterling announced his ambition to become “one of the best players in the world”.

Sterling had made his Premier League debut for Liverpool only that year and it was a bold statement which left an indelible ­impression on Rodgers, then his manager at Anfield.

Seven years later, Sterling has been voted the football writers’ player of the year, scoring 23 goals to take Manchester City to the brink of another Premier League title, while he is now a role model for England’s next generation.

Rodgers has unquestionably been a key figure in Sterling’s ­journey and, on Monday night, the Leicester manager finds his team one of the last in the way of City’s title chase.

A draw or victory would potentially put Liverpool back in the driving seat, but this game has refreshed those memories for Rodgers on the teenage Sterling he knew.

“What I loved about Raheem was that, for a young boy, he knew what he wanted to be. When I ask young players what is it that they want to achieve, he wanted to be one of the best players in the world, at that age,” he said.