Brighton & Hove Albion manager Sami Hyypia has praised England skipper Steven Gerrard for his leadership qualities.

The Finn, who played alongside Gerrard at Liverpool, described the midfielder as a "good captain", while recounting the day he was first asked to skipper the Reds.

"He's a good captain and I can still remember the day that the captaincy went to Stevie," The Express quotes Hyypia as saying.

"We were going to training and he wouldn't look at me. I went to sit next to him and said 'Congratulations and, anything you need, I am always there.'

"It was a relief for him that I took the decision okay. But I knew that the captaincy was more important to him than for me. He was a Liverpool lad and to be captain of Liverpool was a big thing for him."

Gerrard will captain England in their World Cup opener against Italy this weekend.