THE HIGHS

Scoring in the very first game of season

"I remember that one; away at Wimbledon. The main thing that sticks in my memory was taking the penalty and scoring to equalise. It was a decent game on a boiling hot day, very tiring to play in; it was one of my first full games for Liverpool and the pace was ferocious. But it was nice to get a goal on the opening day of the season, even if it was a penalty."

Making his European debut in a 2-2 draw against Celtic and scoring again

"That was one of the best atmospheres I've ever played in. A lot was made before the game of the England v Scotland thing, but I don't think the players really took much notice of the rivalry, really. It was nice to score early on, I think it was after about six minutes. To us, it was a big game, whether we were playing a Scottish team, another English team or whoever. We just wanted to get through to the next round.

Pulling on the white shirt of England for the first time in a full international - against Chile at Wembley

"I was nervous, but it didn't really affect me in any way. It was great to play and to be the youngest player to play for England this century was a great feeling. I was reasonably pleased with my performance - I got the Man Of The Match award - but I was disappointed with the result, losing 2-0 at home was terrible.

The stunning volley against Newcastle at Anfield

"That might be my best goal of the season. It was a tense game, 0-0 at the time so it was nice to score at the Kop end and to go on and win.

The hat-trick against Sheffield Wednesday

"I'd just come back from international duty, so maybe a few people were looking at me for signs that it had all gone to my head, saying things like: 'Well, he's just made his England debut, Let's see how he reacts'. It could have gone one of two ways. If I'd played badly and not scored, then everyone would have said: ‘It's all gone to his head. He's not bothered'. Then when I did score, everyone said: 'He's still on a high from the England game'. There's nothing I can do about what people say, but it was just great to score a hat-trick. Surely no-one could have too many arguments about that?"

Being named Young Player of the Year

"To get that award in my first year is a great honour, I'm very pleased and proud. I think the PFA awards are the ones that mean most to players. When you're being voted for by your fellow professionals, you must be doing something right. It's a great achievement in my first year and I just hope I can go on and keep getting better."