Liverpool's Kearns earning Gerrard and Alexander-Arnold comparison

Missy Bo Kearns has spent a lifetime following in Liverpool players' ­footsteps.

As a childhood fan, the midfielder grew up idolising Steven Gerrard and shared the pitch with one of the ­Anfield legend's future homegrown successors in Curtis Jones. Kearns and Jones started out together at junior side ­Mossley Hill before graduating to ­become standard bearers for the Reds' women's and men's teams ­respectively.

She admitted: "To see us both progress - he's the youngest men's captain and I'm the youngest women's captain ever - it's a proud ­moment for me. I know all the sacrifices I've had to put in, so he's had to do the same; the late nights training and then going to school when you're a kid. It's not easy and to see it pay off, it's worth every single minute."

Kearns has reaped the ­rewards from putting in those hard yards as ­ Liverpool ­prepare to kick-off their first Women's Super League ­campaign for three years, at home to Chelsea next Sunday. Working under Matt Beard, who won successive WSL titles as manager in 2013 and 2014, 21-year-old Kearns is relishing the ­prospect of stepping back into that spotlight.

Kearns said: "We're back where we belong, where we should be and it's going to be exciting to see where we're actually at. We'll perform against some of the big teams, and we've got a good enough squad to compete. I'm looking forward to it because last time I was just a player who would come off the bench. I was only young, I'd not played many minutes. Now I could be starting a lot of the games this season if I perform so I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Like fellow Scousers ­Gerrard and Trent ­Alexander-Arnold, Kearns has gained a reputation for lethal set-pieces, which her manager hailed simply as 'undefendable'. Kearns added: "I think that growing up at ­Liverpool, it's a very ­technical club and you're working on stuff all the time.

"One thing that I used to get told to work on a lot when I was a kid was ­corners and free-kicks. Now they're coming off. We get a lot of goals and I get a lot of ­assists from them. If you've got a good ­delivery, it's a big chance for your defenders, ­midfielders and strikers to get on the end of them. It can win and lose you games."

The England Under-23 international is also hopeful of fulfilling a lifelong ­ambition in a fortnight's time, when Liverpool take on Everton at Anfield in the Merseyside derby.

Kearns added: "I can't wait. It'll be a dream come true to play at Anfield. Last time I was on the bench and didn't get on. It was frustrating but hopefully my time to prove myself comes. I was only a kid then and now I've matured.

"I'm 21 now and still one of the youngest in the team, but don't feel like that. I have my say and the girls treat me like one of them. I'm not the kid of the team ­anymore."