"He's a great defender, you can see that straight away," said Gerard Houllier's best Liverpool signing.
"The manager said he reminds him of Carra and he's right. He's a great tackler and he'll be very good for Liverpool. The best advice I can give him is to have the will to learn every day, and it's particularly important for him to learn English quickly. I had that advantage because I could speak English before I joined Liverpool, which was a big help.
"It will take him more time to learn the language, but the key to playing well in the Premiership is to always work hard. He knows everyone in the squad will do everything they can to help him adapt, including me.
"Some people might think I'll be thinking of my own position, but that's not an issue when you're helping a new team-mate. Of course competition keeps everyone on their toes, but I'm not worrying about that at all. If Gabriel plays well and helps the team more than me, he should play."