Brendan Rodgers says he is delighted with Daniel Sturridge's reaction to being left out of the starting line-up against Everton.
The Liverpool manager praised the striker for not letting his head drop after being excluded from his first 11 in last weekend's Merseyside derby, and said he has excelled on the training pitch all week as he looks to prove his fitness ahead of Sunday's Premier League outing to Hull.
Sturridge came off the bench to score a dramatic last-minute leveller in the thrilling 3-3 draw at Goodison Park - and in his Friday press conference his manager hinted he may be back in the first team on Sunday.
"I think that is what good players do," he said.
"Players will react differently. You will find some players, if they are not in the team, they just shrivel and die and have no fight.
"The top players when they don't play they show you every single day what they can do and that has been the case this week.
"He has certainly trained very hard this week. He has been really determined, strong and aggressive and he looks ready for the weekend. He has worked exceptionally well and when he does that his quality is there for all to see.
"We have another day to go to prepare and see where all the players is at. I like to give every player the chance to show they can be in the team."
Rodgers also reserved special praise for England and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard - who marked the 15th anniversary of his debut.
With Manchester United rival Ryan Giggs celebrating his 40th birthday this week and still able to make a significant contribution to his team, Rodgers added that he has faith in Gerrard's ability to achieve a similar feat.
"They are two players who have unquestionable quality and it is just really about fitness, and at this moment in time with Stevie his fitness is holding up very well," he said.
"He will be 34 at the end of this season and I look at his fitness and him playing and I think he is as fit as he's ever been. He is looking after himself.
"Of course that player he was maybe 10 years ago, being dynamic and making those lung-bursting runs forward, goes out of your game. But as you have seen with Ryan Giggs you adapt and change. Looking at Steven I think he can play as a number two centre-half later in his career.
"When you are playing against certain teams where they have got one up I think he can play as a right-sided centre-half and build the game from behind.
"The way he passes the ball he is as good as anyone in the world, short and long. It is a possibility he could go on but it will always be determined on fitness.
"For the senior players it [importance of recovery] is always the case. Your body is different to when you were 16-21 and it is really how you look after yourself.
"The players who go on and play late into their thirties it is not what they are doing in these last couple of years it is what they have been doing since they were 16: how they have been focused on their work, how their professionalism has allowed them to perform at that high level and that steely determination to succeed."
Rodgers added his own appreciation to the wave of plaudits received by Giggs this week.
"I've always looked at Ryan because he is the same age as me. He's 40 and playing and I'm 40 and sat here," said the Northern Irishman, whose own playing career was cut short at the age of 20 by a genetic knee condition.
"But he has been blessed genetically with a body which allows him to stay fit and play games and I think everyone in football has incredible admiration for him.
"To be playing at the top level of the game turning 40 - the dedication and commitment, the focus and hunger you need to do that is remarkable.
"I think everyone would applaud him for what he is doing and it looks like he could play on. He has been a wonderful player over the years."
