Raheem Sterling has been told that he is "lucky to be playing at a club like Liverpool" and should sign a new contract at Anfield by former Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp.
Sterling opened talks with Liverpool over a new deal in October, but manager Brendan Rodgers has said he is "relaxed" about the England forward's situation despite the matter being put on hold until the summer.
The 20-year-old -- who is set to be released early by the national team after Friday's Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania to aid his recovery from a toe injury -- was a youth player at QPR, and former Loftus Road boss Harry Redknapp believes that stalling on signing a new contract is an unnecessary distraction at a crucial stage in his development as a player.
"Sign your contract," Redknapp told talkSPORT. "You are at a great club, you are playing regularly, you have become an England international, you're learning the game.
"Have another two or three years of playing as you are now, keep taking your game on and you will get the rewards.
"The money is there anyway, but you will be up there with the top earners in the world in another two or three years if you keep progressing.
"You are at a fantastic club, one of the best football clubs in the world. You are lucky to be playing at a club like Liverpool. Get your nut down, do your job, and the rewards will keep coming."
Sterling, whose current deal runs until 2017, has six Premier League goals so far this season, and has a maximum of eight fixtures remaining to match his total of nine from last term.