Steven Gerrard wishes Liverpool had held onto Neco Williams.The Wales right-back graduated from Liverpool‘s academy but was sold to Forest following their return to the Premier League four years ago.Williams is one of the first names on the Forest teamsheetGettyAnd Gerrard insists his old club ‘should have kept’ Williams, who he thinks has yet to reach the peak of his powers.Williams was in Liverpool’s youth set-up while Gerrard was still playing for the Reds.Gerrard tips Williams to ‘go to the next level’Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of Liverpool’s home clash with Forest with Williams present alongside him, Reds legend Gerrard, whose most recent role was as manager of Saudi club Al-Ettifaq, heaped praise upon the 25-year-old.“This is a player that trains the way he plays,” he said.“He comes in every morning; he does everything right; he’s very professional; he’s a winner.“He’s very aggressive, he’s a competitor, and we already knew he’d got the talent.“If you put everything around your talent, you can play at this [Premier League] level and you can stay at this level.“And I still think he hasn’t hit his ceiling yet; I still think he’s at an age where he can go to the next level with experience and time and more games.‘Can you imagine?’“He’s playing out of position; he’s doing an incredible job on the left side. “Can you imagine what he’d be like if he played on the right side?Williams started for Forest against Liverpool on SaturdayGetty“For me, he’s a fantastic full-back and – I’m not just saying it and I apologise to the Forest fans – Liverpool should have kept him, that’s for sure.”Williams’ journey from Liverpool to Forest via FulhamA 2018/19 FA Youth Cup winner, Williams made his first-team debut for Liverpool in 2019 and went on to feature 33 times for the Reds in all, playing six games in their Premier League-winning campaign of 2019/20.After a loan spell in the Championship with Fulham in the second half of the 2021/22 season, during which he helped the Cottagers to the title, he left Anfield permanently for Forest that summer.Williams has become a mainstay of the Forest team under successive managers, making 129 Premier League appearances and helping them to an impressive ninth-placed top-flight finish in 2024/25.He’s has been capped 57 times by Wales since making his senior debut in 2020.He represented his country at the delayed Euro 2020 held in 2021 and the 2022 World Cup.Williams has started all three of Forest’s games so far in 2026/27, including his return to Anfield – where he refused to celebrate after scoring back in 2023.