The 23-year-old believes he has all the attributes to succeed at the heart of the defence against Premier League opposition, and wants to learn from his experienced team-mates

Liverpool defender Martin Kelly says he would be delighted to play centre-back if asked by manager Brendan Rodgers.

The 23-year-old has mostly featured at right-back for the Merseyside club since making his debut in a UEFA Champions League clash with PSV Eindhoven in December 2008.

But, having noticeably bulked up during his time out with a cruciate knee ligament injury, the defender has underlined his desire to take on a central role.

“It’s always ideal being able to play in two positions,” he told The Liverpool Echo. “I love playing right-back but if it came to it I could definitely be a centre-back.

“I feel like I’ve got all the attributes. All the positional sense was drummed into me when I played there when I was a kid.

“The last time I played in the middle was for England Under-21s but that’s not the same as playing there at club level where it’s much faster. Before that it was just with the academy.

“It would take time for me to become a Premier League centre-back but I can learn from the experienced defenders we’ve got here.”

Kelly went on thank his team-mates for their support during his nine-month lay-off, which began when he ruptured the knee ligament during a clash with Manchester United at Anfield.

“Even when I was out, all the  lads made sure I still felt part of the team,” he continued.

“I came in to do my work at the  same time as them so I was with them before they went out to train. I was still involved in all the meetings and that was good mentally for me.

“It was great to have Lucas around to talk to. When I’d say my tendon was aching he would reassure me that was normal.

“He was a big support but his rehab was different to mine. His cruciate was done by a tackle, mine was done by being off balance. He was back within six months but my rehab took longer because I’m a different type of player to Lucas.

“The surgeon made it clear that I could only go back into training when I felt like I not only had the strength but also the balance work to go with it otherwise I could go over on it again.

“I’m the type of person who takes that bit longer to heal. I did a lot of work in the gym on my strength, core and balance.

“Then I stepped things up gradually by doing a few sessions with the Under-18s and then the Under-21s before training with the lads at Melwood.”

Kelly has made 54 appearances for Liverpool in total and has one senior England cap.

The skipper has hailed Brendan Rodgers’s attitude towards youth and urged the club’s academy prospects to establish themselves in the first team

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has challenged the club’s young players to “become men” by establishing themselves in the first team.

The club finished seventh in 2012-13, a season in which Brendan Rodgers gave seven academy graduates opportunities in both domestic and European competitions.

Raheem Sterling accumulated the most appearances, with 36 in all competitions, but Gerrard wants more players to push themselves and make their mark on the first team.

“You only get described as a young lad for a certain amount of time and then it’s time to become a man and perform on a consistent basis,” the Reds skipper told LFC TV.

“There is great talent at the club at a young age; the manager has been trying to get a young group of players together that can perform well for him.

“It’s a big season for a lot of players – you look at Sterling and [Jordan] Henderson. Of course it’s a big season for every player we’ve got but I think the supporters will be looking for the young lads to step up now, try to push people out of the way and become regulars in the team.

“I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what happens with those young players.”

Liverpool’s academy has previously produced stars such as Jamie Carragher, Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen and Gerrard believes that Rodgers is perfect for the job of nurturing the next homegrown success stories.

He continued: “The manager is fantastic with the way he does it; he invites a lot of young players down to train with the team all the time.

“It’s great experience to come down and play with the first team. When they come down permanently, they have sampled it and they know what they’re in for.”

The manager says the Spaniard was aware of his plans to bring in competition for the No.1 jersey and feels a weekly battle can only be positive

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers expects Pepe Reina to thrive from the competition provided by Simon Mignolet’s arrival from Sunderland.

The Belgian international’s €10.5 million transfer raised some question marks over Reina’s position at Anfield, despite assurances from both the Spaniard and his manager that his future remains on Merseyside.

Mignolet also faces the challenge of displacing Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for Belgium, and Rodgers feels a weekly battle for the No.1 jersey can only be positive for player and club alike.

“I always felt it was important for us to have competition right the way through the squad, and that includes the goalkeepers,” Rodgers told Sky Sports.

“I spoke to Pepe about this a few months back and told him we wanted to bring in another goalkeeper as real competition. I was very open with my goalkeepers and they know the situation.

“Pepe has been terrific here, Brad Jones was excellent when he stood in last year and I felt we needed another one. Simon comes in and we’ve got great competition and when you’ve got competition it pushes everyone to perform.

“We obviously lost a young goalkeeper in Peter Gulacsi [who joined Red Bull Salzburg] so we needed three very capable goalkeepers.

“We’ve brought in Simon Mignolet, who’s one of the top young goalkeepers in Europe – he’s shown that at Sunderland over the last few years.

“He’s got great stature and I think he was player of the season at Sunderland and I really think he can improve on that talent. He’s part of the Belgian set-up and it’s really their golden era of players so him coming here will hopefully increase his opportunities there also.”

Reina has recently been linked with a return to Barcelona, where he came through the youth ranks before moving to Villarreal in 2002.