Fowler: Club has to look after Ben

FORMER Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler is confident the club’s newly-crowned youngest goalscorer Ben Woodburn will not be allowed to let his new-found fame go to his head.

The 17-year-old academy graduate broke Michael Owen’s record with a goal against Leeds in the quarter-final of the EFL Cup last week.

Fowler himself scored on his debut aged 18, also in the League Cup, against Fulham, and hit the headlines with five in the return leg, eventually finishing the season with 18 goals.

The Toxteth-born striker was catapulted into the limelight at a young age but was kept grounded by his background and staff at the club and he believes Woodburn will benefit from a similar experience.

“I’ve heard he’s a really level-headed lad and it helps when you’re a good player,” said Fowler.

“He’s been prolific in all the age groups he’s played but it’s important now that he gets well looked after.

“The players and staff at Liverpool know that and they stop you from getting a bit too big for your boots.

“(Manager) Jurgen (Klopp) is very astute when it comes to handling young players.

“There were loads who helped me at that time. Graeme Souness was the manager but one of the biggest influences was Ronnie Moran, he was brilliant with me.

“He’d been at Liverpool for almost 50 years and had worked with some unbelievable players and I never once saw him get excited about any player.

“After the Fulham game when I scored five the first thing he said to me was, ‘You should have had six’.

“As much as he knew you were a good player and wanted you to do well, he never showed that.

“He wanted what was best for the club and no individual was ever allowed to be more important than that.”

Fowler had to deal with huge expectations, made greater by the fact he was a Scouser, but tried not to let it affect him.

“Obviously my life did change, but I could never really pinpoint when it did because I was as normal as the next lad,” he added.

“Maybe that’s why I had a rapport with the Liverpool fans, because they saw a bit of themselves in me and that helped them take to me.

“But the change was more gradual because you were never really allowed to be big-headed at Liverpool.”

Seventeen-year-old Ben Woodburn became Liverpool’s youngster scorer — beating Michael Owen’s record — in a League Cup win over Leeds.