https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/spo...-37930346.html

and from another article
By the 1999-00 season, Gerrard was making more appearances and slowly building up his presence. However, he was plagued by back and groin injuries, the latter requiring four different operations despite his young age. Most of his back pains, meanwhile, were attributed to accelerated growth over a short amount of time.