Naby Keita will come good for Liverpool and can have a tangible impact on the Premier League title race, according to Patrik Berger.
The Guinea international has endured a frustrating maiden campaign at Anfield, making just 12 top-flight starts in 2018-19.
Keita's status as a bit-part member of the Reds squad is a far cry from the fanfare which greeted confirmation of his arrival from RB Leipzig, though manager Jurgen Klopp insists the midfielder has merely been a victim of injuries and squad rotation.
Seven games stand between the Merseysiders and a first league title for 29 years and Berger, who spent seven years at the club following a spell in the Bundesliga, has backed the 24-year-old to come good
He told Evening Standard: "He’s a fantastic player, otherwise Jurgen Klopp would not have bought him. He has the qualities to play for Liverpool, it’s just not happening for him at the moment.
"Liverpool’s squad is very strong so you need to be at the top of your game to be able to start the game.
"He hasn’t been able to do that this season but I’m sure he will show his quality and there are still a lot of games to play this season, he can still be a massive part of the team.
"Maybe this season is not going the way he’d like it to, but he can still be a very important person.
"I wouldn’t write him off, he’s a great player and I’m sure he will be a massive part of Liverpool Football Club in the future.
"If a guy like Jurgen Klopp is interested in you and wants you to be a Liverpool player, then you are a good player, believe me."
Berger was part of the Liverpool squad which scooped five trophies in the 2000-01 season, which included the FA Cup and UEFA Cup.
The former Czech Republic international says belief was the key behind the success under Gerard Houllier and has urged the current Liverpool squad to not deviate from their main goal.
"We won the first cup in February so already we had one trophy, which was amazing," he added.
"We knew we were still in other competitions where we could win other trophies and we had the belief that anything was possible and at the end of the season we were lucky enough to win every trophy we played for.
"That’s where you want to be at that stage of the season and that’s where Liverpool is.
"Obviously the players are tired because the season is long, most of them are playing for the national team as well, but believe me if you are where they are at the moment, you enjoy it.
"You get more tired when you’re battling relegation but you are a little bit fresher even if you are tired if you are playing for trophies. It’s more enjoyable to play for trophies so the tiredness goes aside."