A former Liverpool star has spoken about a medical condition he had as a youngster that led to fears over his place at the club coming through the ranks

Former Liverpool star Stephen Warnock has publicly spoken about his battles with Epilepsy as a child for the first time, after revealing that he hid the condition out of fear of being released in the academy.

The left-back came through the ranks with the Reds, cementing himself as a useful option in the senior team during the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons, gaining regular minutes. Warnock managed to make 67 appearances for Liverpool, before his career took him to the likes of Blackburn, Aston Villa, Leeds and Derby.

Having had a successful career in his own right, the 44-year-old finished his career with a Champions League, an FA Cup, a League Cup, a few England caps, and well over 500 appearances in his professional career.

Since retiring, Warnock has transitioned into the media world, where he is a regular expert on panels for the BBC and has used his platform to raise awareness for Epilepsy.

The medical condition can prompt recurring seizures from sudden activity in the brain, which can have a lasting, long-term impact on the day-to-day routines of anyone who is impacted. The former Liverpool star revealed that he once suffered from Epilepsy, as he raised awareness for it.

Speaking on BBC 5Live, he said: "I was in school and I was at a computer, I was working on the computer doing something and then I woke up in a hospital bed and I was like ‘Wow how have I got here?’

"I didn’t remember anything, I completely blacked out and I was sort of embarrassed if I’m being completely honest because no one else had it, no one else knew about it, I didn’t know about it until it happened. And then probably a couple of weeks later I just went to bed as normal in the house, woke up in a hospital bed again and I’d had another seizure.

"I went for CT scans, MRI scans, didn’t know what it was and it probably went on for around about three years or so. I was in a fortunate position where I grew out of it and never wanted to tell Liverpool because I was petrified of getting released from it because I was thinking if they think I’ve got a condition, they’ll release me.

"But I was just in a fortunate position where I grew out of it and didn’t have to go on medication, didn’t have the worry of driving a car and worrying about other people’s safety and things like that, which I know is a huge concern for people with Epilepsy. So yeah that’s the first time I’ve ever really spoke about it.”

Epilepsy is a condition that impacts over 500,000 people in the UK, and roughly three million in the United States, with awareness still being raised for how it effects people in everyday life.

Fortunately for Warnock, it didn't impact his own career ambitions, but the fact he felt the need to hide it points towards the reason that awareness is needed.

Having opened up on the situation, the former Liverpool star has used his platform for positivity, showing that he could overcome adversity to reach the very top during his playing days.