Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes that young players are struggling to break into first teams due to managers being unwilling to take a 'risk'.

The England skipper has praised Reds boss Brendan Rodgers for bringing the likes of Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom into the fold at Anfield.

However, the 33-year-old believes that the pressure on managers to succeed stops them from considering up-and-coming talent.

"Managers are only ever eight to 10 days away from the sack," Gerrard told BBC Sport. "So to take risks on unknown young players is difficult.

"At Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers has been fantastic because he's been brave and he's given young players a chance, but there's no two ways about it, it's a lot more difficult to break through nowadays because of the standard of players and because there are a lot more foreigners about."

Meanwhile, Gerrard and his teammates are preparing for this Saturday's Premier League match against Crystal Palace.