Hyypia praises Liverpool kid

Sami Hyypia has praised the introduction of young central defender Jack Hobbs and says that he can see a lot of similarities between the two players, after Hobbs made his debut against Cardiff on Wednesday.

"It was a very good start for Jack," said the 34-year-old. "His performance was very solid and hopefully he will have many more games to come.

"He is still young and he has a lot to learn but he is willing to learn and to listen to what people say to him.

"Sometimes he looks to the likes of Jamie Carragher or myself for advice and, of course, we are more than happy to help.

"I can see a lot of myself in him. I think he has similar qualities to me but I think he is better than I was when I was 19.

"Hopefully, his improvement will continue and he will keep on getting better and be a player for the future of this club."

One of the standout features of Hobbs' display was his ability to start play from the back.

Hyypia joked: "It was also good to see that he has the confidence to bring the ball out of defence because maybe he is better to do that than me now!"