Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Daniel Sturridge will get plenty of chances to play this season despite missing out against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The England international was only brought on as an 88th-minute sub during the 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane, with the likes of Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane preferred from the start and Divock Origi chosen to come on before him.
The 26-year-old has been on the field for just 67 minutes of Liverpool's three Premier League games so far, but Klopp played down suggestions that Sturridge may have permanently lost his place in the team.
"Daniel Sturridge is a wonderfully skilled player, but I made the decision based on the kind of defending that was important for Tottenham. When we last played Tottenham, at home, he had an outstanding game. But I can only pick 11 players to start and I never make a decision like this against one player," he told reporters.
"I'm really happy that we have him. He will play and he will score and all will be good. He didn't have a perfect pre-season, other players have played more together in pre-season and that's an advantage.
"We brought Origi on because it made sense to bring someone on for the counter attack, but we didn't find him. It's early in the season. A few players have rhythm, a few don't. There's no big mountain for him, Daniel. It's a good team so hopefully we'll choose different lineups for different games."
Sturridge scored twice off the bench in a 5-0 EFL Cup victory over Burton Albion in midweek, but then expressed his frustration at playing in a wide role.
