Rodgers on Sturridge fitness latest
Brendan Rodgers is confident a fit-again Daniel Sturridge can establish himself as a 'world-class player' when he returns to action in 2015-16.
The striker will be sidelined until the early weeks of next season after undergoing an operation on his hip in the United States.
It was the latest setback in a campaign in which Sturridge has suffered a number of injuries, but Rodgers is convinced the 25-year-old will come back primed to fulfil his vast potential following the surgery.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the manager said: "He's just had a horrible run of injuries this year and when you take that into consideration to what he gives us - because he got 20-plus goals last season - it's hard to replace that.
"His operation went well. It's obviously going to be after pre-season when we get him back but hopefully we can get him back and firing like he was last year.
"We hope we've got to the bottom of it. This is an injury that has been looked at and the medics have said it's maybe been the cause of a lot of his [injury] problems.
"Once he's back on fire there are not many players who are better than Sturridge. He's super-fast, has a great touch and balance and he's strong.
"He's got everything to be a world-class player. As you know, though, the world-class players play every single week, contributing, that's the make-up. It's not just about talent or ability, it's consistency."