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Just days after taking sole charge of Liverpool following his
short-lived managerial partnership with Roy Evans, Gerard Houllier
invited two young English talents to join in with first-team training.
While one of these two youngsters would go on to be recognised as one of
the great Liverpool players of all time - Steven Gerrard - the other
would not make such a lasting impression at Anfield.
Like Gerrard, right back Stephen Wright was just 18 when he was
promoted to the first team squad. Jamie Redknapp has even since been
quoted as saying that Houllier thought Wright was the better prospect of
the two when they moved up.
Wright had to wait almost two years to make his debut for the Reds,
having been loaned out to Crewe Alexandra for a short period of the
1999/2000 season. However, in November 2000, he finally got a taste of
first team action, appearing as a half-time replacement for the injured
Markus Babbel in an 8-0 thrashing of Stoke City in the League Cup.
Stephen's first taste of league action came in February 2001, when he
was again brought on to replace Babbel, this time during a 3-0
dispatching of West Ham. The Bootle-born defender made an immediate
impact, too, setting up the second goal for Robbie Fowler. Wright made
only one further league appearance that season - as a sub in a 1-1 draw
with Sunderland - although he did make his first Liverpool start in the
FA Cup quarter-final victory over Tranmere Rovers following injuries to
Stephane Henchoz and Christian Ziege.
Opportunities were more plentiful for Wright the following season.
Just under a year after making his debut, the young defender was handed
his first league start against Leicester on 20 October in a match
Liverpool went on to win 4-1 (the photo above is during the game).
That October was to prove to be a great month for Stephen, as he also
notched his first and only Liverpool goal, heading the second in a 2-0
victory against German side Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
That the goal came in front of a packed Kop made the moment all the
sweeter.
Wright made 15 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions during
the 2001/02 campaign, including ten starts in the Premier League.
Comparisons were commonly made with Jamie Carragher due to the right
back's no-frills style of play and his commitment to the cause, although
Stephen was also more than comfortable with the ball at his feet.
However, although rated by the management at Anfield, Wright had not
yet established himself as a first team regular and could not be
guaranteed the right back berth. So when Sunderland came in with a £3
million bid for the then 22 year old in August 2002 it proved to be too
good an offer for either club or player to turn down.
While Wright may not have scaled the heights of Gerrard during his
days at Liverpool, the defender has gone on to have a solid career away
from Anfield. (David Fuller)
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