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Jon Flanagan is one of the most promising talents to emerge from the Academy in recent years.

The Scouse right-back is already appreciated for the heart he shows on the field despite a limited number of appearances.

He came to the attention of most Kopites at the age of 18 when injuries meant he was handed a shock debut by Kenny Dalglish against big-spending Manchester City at Anfield.

The Reds won 3-0, with Flanagan earning the praise of his manager and respected journalists like Tony Barrett, who called it the best debut since Rob Jones.

Flanagan later dedicated his Reds bow to his dad, who was once on Liverpool's books but never made the grade.

In 2011 the youngster was finally recognised by the England youth set-up, earning call-ups to the U19s and U21s. He made his debut for the latter in a 6-0 win over Azerbaijan. He signed a new contract with Liverpool at the start of 2011-12.

Injuries to teammates once again handed the tenacious full-back an opportunity to shine in 2013-14, and the defender grasped it with both hands by impressing on either side of the backline; he even blasted his first ever goal during the 5-0 rout at Tottenham Hotspur in December.

By the end of the campaign, Brazil legend Cafu had flown to Merseyside to watch the young Scouser in action, he was named a standby for England's World Cup squad and earned a first international cap in a friendly against Ecuador.

Flanagan's incredible rise was then unfortunately stemmed, however, with a knee injury forcing him to endure an entire season on the sidelines.

Nevertheless, the full-back put pen to paper on a contract extension in May 2015 to commit his future to Anfield.