Liverpool star targeting England role like idol Steven Gerrard

The Liverpool midfielder is a diehard Reds fan and has turned into a key player for manager Matt Beard in the Women's Super League, winning the club's Player of the Season award for her performances last year.

Kearns was rewarded for her fine form with a new contract this summer and has been key to the club's strong start to the season in the WSL, with the Reds in sixth place with seven points from their first four games.

The 22-year-old's reputation has continued to grow at international level, too, with the midfielder being handed the captain's armband by England Under-23s manager Emma Coates.

Now, Kearns has her eyes set on earning her first Lionesses call-up from Sarina Wiegman and is determined to follow in the footsteps of her idol Gerrard by turning out for England's senior side.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, she said: "I think growing up, it was always Steven Gerrard.

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"I think just the way he used to lead and push the team through [to earn] results [was inspiring]. He was a massive believer in that and he could also decide the game on his own.

"It's a massive thing captaining your country and I'm fortunate enough to be given the opportunity. We've got a good group of girls and I think it's a good thing for me at this stage in my career to have that bit of extra responsibility and to be a character in and around the team.

"You want to make the step-up to the seniors and it's definitely one of my aims, so I'm just going to keep working hard and focusing on what I can do to get there and just trust the process."

Kearns has come a long way from the days where she used to look over the wall to watch Liverpool training when she was a kid and now trains on the same pitches as her idols at Melwood.

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The 22-year-old is also a big Luis Suarez fan and didn't need much persuading when she was offered the number seven jersey by Matt Beard two years ago.

Her chances of making the step-up to the Lionesses squad have been further boosted after former Under-23s teammates Khiara Keating and Grace Clinton were included in Wiegman's squad for the Nations League matches against Belgium.

There is plenty of talent in the under-23s at the minute - with Katie Robinson, Man City's Ruby Mace and Chelsea's Aggie Beever-Jones all part of the squad - and Kearns believes there's now a clear pathway into the Lionesses set-up.

"I'm made up for them [Keating and Clinton]," Kearns finished.

"I think they both deserve it. Khiara's been excellent for club and her personality when she's on camp [means] she's a really good character and I think it will have a big impact on the senior squad when she's there.

"With Grace as well, she's from by mine and we've known each other for years playing against each other and I know how proud her family will be. I'm just as proud.

"I think there's so much potential in the squad and I think that's how we like it. It's competitive and you can't have a day off in training. You've got to be at it 100% because it's a world class facility and the sessions [and] the players are all at a really good level.

"[Some have] already had experience at World Cups and senior football and that's where we're all trying to get to.

"We're all teammates, but we've got to compete with each other to prove ourselves and to get there. With the likes of Aggie, there's a different age range, but they've all got potential and it's exciting."