As a promising young, combative and clearly talented English central midfielder making
a name for himself in Liverpool's reserve team, it was perhaps inevitable that Danny Guthrie
would be labelled by some as the new 'Steven Gerrard'. As is so often the case, however,
when such flattering and, it has to be said, not particularly helpful comparisons are made
to young footballers, Guthrie didn't quite live up to the unrealistic expectations that had
been placed on his youthful shoulders.
Danny arrived at Liverpool in 2002 at the tender age of 15, having been released from the
Manchester United youth academy. Whilst part of the Liverpool youth set-up Guthrie was
selected for the England schoolboy side, and it wasn't long before he was promoted to the
Liverpool reserve side. By 2005, the hype surrounding Guthrie, now the captain of Liverpool's
second string, was growing and the all action midfielder was increasingly being heralded as
a real hot prospect for the future.
Guthrie made his first team debut for the Reds as a second-half replacement for Mohamed Sissoko
in a 4-3 League Cup triumph against Reading on October 26 2006, aged just 19.
His Premier League debut came just over a month later, again as a substitute, in a 0-0 draw with
Portsmouth, while his first start in a Liverpool shirt came in a 3-2 Champions League defeat against
Galatasaray in Turkey that December. Danny would go on to make two further Premier League
appearances for Liverpool, both during the 2006/07 season, while he also appeared twice more
in League Cup matches that campaign - starting alongside Gerrard in a 6-3 loss to Arsenal
in the quarter-final.
In March 2007, Guthrie was signed by Southampton on an emergency loan deal, and played
12 games for the Saints before returning to Liverpool at the end of the season. Any hope, however,
that this first-team experience would stand him in good stead as he tried to break into the Liverpool
side on a regular basis all but evaporated in the summer of 2007, when former Liverpool coach
Sammy Lee, then the manager of Bolton Wanderers, agreed a season-long loan deal for the midfielder.
Guthrie would play 25 times for Bolton in the Premier League during the 2007/08 season,
and was one of Bolton's better performers as they narrowly avoided relegation.
Despite the fact Guthrie had proven himself good enough to play on the Premier League stage,
Reds' boss Rafa Benitez could not promise Danny that he would be anything other than a bit-part
player for the immediate future at Anfield. With Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and
Lucas Leiva all ahead of Danny in the pecking order the young midfielder felt it would be in his
best interest to leave the club in order to further his career.
In July 2008, Guthrie chose to join Newcastle United despite interest from Bolton, and signed
for the Magpies for a fee of £2.5 million. The 'new Gerrard' would have to make a name for
himself somewhere other than Liverpool. (David Fuller)