Liverpool Ladies and midfielder Katie Zelem up for FA Women's Football Award

Liverpool Ladies midfielder Katie Zelem is overwhelmed with her nomination for Women's Super League Development Player of the Year.

The England youth international has been shortlisted for the FA Women’s Football Award alongside Arsenal's Carla Humphrey and Aston Villa's Natasha Baptiste.

It will be one of 10 awards presented at a glittering ceremony at Madame Tussauds this Friday and Zelem confesses it's the icing on the cake of a rollercoaster year for her.

Excited

"I'm extremely excited about being shortlisted for the FA award on Friday down in London," Zelem told Sky Sports News HQ. "I can't wait because that is a really big nomination so I'm very excited.

"It's nice to be recognised by people across the league, whether that's players that you are playing against or others. That alone is an honour and an extremely big achievement.

"But it's been amazing year for me even though at the start of the season things didn't really go as planned.

"I got an injury which put me out for the first half of the season but playing a part in the second half of the season was brilliant. Getting out there and scoring goals is what I always dreamed of doing."

The 18-year-old insists she is learning all the time from her ultra-professional Liverpool team-mate and friend Fara Williams.

"We always joke about it but Fara is a great role model," said Zelem. "I mean she's the most capped player in English football. The way in which she plays and conducts herself on and off the pitch is something for me to try and emulate.

"Her passing long and short is amazing. She's got an all-round game that’s why she is where she is now."

Success

The youngster, who mustered nine appearances for Liverpool despite a broken collarbone sustained on international duty earlier this year, is eyeing more for success for the club as her game continues to improve.

"Just coming up to the open age environment has helped me a lot. It's more physical and a lot quicker," she said. "That's improved me a lot as a player and just made me quicker all round.

"Next season I’d like to get a lot more minutes. I want to be starting games but the same goes for everyone at the club.

"I want to challenge for a spot in the staring XI, and as a team, we want to win the league again and progress a little further in Europe and the cups."