Bobby Duncan, the 15-year-old cousin of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, has revealed that Gerrard was among the first to congratulate him after his historic hat-trick for England Under-16s against Brazil. Duncan became the first England player at any level to score a treble against the South American side.
Duncan, who is currently at Manchester City's academy, previously spent time at both Liverpool and Everton but was not signed by either club. He eventually joined Wigan Athletic before being snapped up by City at age 10. The teenager admitted that Gerrard has been a major influence on his career, saying: 'I’ve always looked up to Steven. What he achieved in his career inspires me.'
In the match against Brazil, Duncan scored three times to level the scores each time England fell behind, and also set up the winning goal for Arsenal's Xav Amaechi. He said: 'When I heard that it had never been done before against Brazil, I was buzzing. It was an unbelievable feeling.'
Duncan's younger brothers Ollie and Freddie are both on Liverpool's books, but the family's connection to the club did not secure a place for Bobby. He now trains at Manchester City's state-of-the-art academy and has broken several records, including the national schoolboys' goal tally while at Cardinal Heenan School.
