MX23RW : Monday, January 27 17:18:18| >> :600:3821390:3821390:

Steven Gerrard pays tribute to Steven Davis as he equals caps record

Steven Davis made his international debut in 2005.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has paid tribute to Steven Davis' staying power on the night the midfielder equalled Northern Ireland's cap record.

The 35-year-old has matched the benchmark of 119 appearances set by Pat Jennings after leading out Ian Baraclough's line-up to face Norway in Monday night's Nations League clash.

Captain Davis made his international debut in 2005 and it is no surprise to Gerrard that he is still going strong 15 years later.

The former Liverpool skipper knows Davis well, having gone toe to toe with him over the years in the Premier League.

And he was delighted to lure a man with three Scottish Premier League titles to his name back to Glasgow for a second spell with the Light Blues in January last year.

"I have got nothing but admiration for Steven," Gerrard – himself capped 114 times by England – told BBC Radio Ulster's Sportsound Extra Time show ahead of Monday's clash at Windsor Park.

"It would be a magnificent achievement for him to equal the record. From someone who knows what you have to sacrifice to get to those sort of numbers, he deserves a lot of credit and all the plaudits that will come his way.

"It just goes to show the standards he sets himself on a daily basis. To still be performing at such a high level at his age, and to still have the hunger and desire to keep breaking these records is incredible."

Davis can now set a new milestone if he keeps his place in Baraclough's side for next month's Euro 2020 play-off semi-final away to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

But he is guaranteed to play a major role this term for Rangers as they seek to put the breaks on Celtic's bid for 10 in a row.

Alongside Ryan Jack, the former Aston Villa, Fulham and Southampton player has become a key man for Gerrard in midfield, and his club boss believes the wealth of experience Davis brings is crucial.

He said: "First and foremost, he's a top human being. He's a lovely lad who goes about his work in a professional way, so it would be fitting if he goes on and breaks it.

"From a selfish point of view, every manager gets nervous when their players go off on international duty, but he deserves it because of all the hard work he's put in.

"He's been extremely important, both on and off the pitch. He's so low maintenance, he manages himself, really. He hadn't played too much before he joined but once he settled in and got himself up to speed, his performances have been top class. He has been one of my most consistent performers.

"One of the major reasons I wanted to get him in was that I had experienced playing against him first hand. I had competed against him and got to know how he carries himself in battle. I knew what he was going to bring.

"I had obviously watched him up at Rangers before and knew that he could handle the crowd. There were a lot of advantages of bringing him in – it was a no-brainer for me to make it happen as soon as I could.

"With some signings you have to take certain risks, but I knew signing Steven had no risk attached at all. You speak to people around him and they tell you he is still in fantastic shape."

ID:413389: cacheID:413389:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4736:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Northern Ireland's Steven Davis reacts after missing a penalty on November 16, 2019
Read Next:
Steven Davis closing in on Pat Jennings's Northern Ireland caps record
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool22165154213353
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2313553327644
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23125641271441
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth23117541261540
8Aston Villa2310763435-137
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2381053531434
10Fulham238963431333
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
16Everton225891928-923
17Leicester CityLeicester2345142549-2417
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2344153252-2016
19Ipswich TownIpswich2337132147-2616
20Southampton2313191653-376


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!