Toure: I knew Simon would bounce back
Kolo Toure had no doubts that his teammate Simon Mignolet would overcome a shaky start to the current campaign and return to peak form between the sticks for Liverpool.
The Belgian has now kept eight clean sheets in all competitions since the turn of the year as the Reds have staged an unbeaten run throughout 2015 in the Barclays Premier League.
Mignolet has demonstrated a much more confident approach to all aspects of his game after enduring a tough time prior to Christmas, when Brendan Rodgers' side struggled to find their form.
For the game against Manchester United at Old Trafford in mid-December, the stopper was removed from Liverpool's starting XI, bringing his run of 93 consecutive starts in the league to an end.
Brad Jones came in to take his place and remained in the side until 16 minutes into the Reds' clash with Burnley at Turf Moor on Boxing Day, when the Australian picked up an injury and Mignolet was called upon once more.
"When he was not starting the games, Simon was still the one in the gym, working harder and preparing his game just as he used to," Toure told Liverpoolfc.com.
"When Brad was injured, he came straight back in and he took his place again. That's all about mentality. That's all about when you have a tough time how you fight to come back.
"I was confident that he would return to this level. I always talked to him because we both speak French. He's a guy who will never give up. He's the guy who comes every morning and works hard - he never changes.
"As a defender, when you have a good time, it's fantastic and everybody talks well about you, but when the tough times come, people start to point at you and that's when you see strong defenders.
"That's when you see players who have character. Simon is a great guy and he is a big character. It's been tough for him but he's never given up.
"He's just been working hard and now we can see what he has been doing for the team has been unbelievable. I think right now, he's one of the best players in our team."
Liverpool's defence has been bolstered by both Mignolet's return to form and a formational switch at United on December 14, which saw the Reds move to three central defenders flanked by wing-backs.
Toure, Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren have all adapted to the new system at various points over the last three months, while Emre Can has dropped deeper from his usual role in the centre of the park to slot seamlessly into the defence.
"Emre is a midfielder first of all," said Toure. "Technically, he's really powerful. When we play three at the back, technically, he's very good and very strong and he has quality to play at the back because he has those skills.
"Tactically, he's very good - he's from Germany, so there's no surprise about that. Technically he's very good as well. He just needs time to adapt to this position."