Rodgers Hails Liverpool's Remarkable £8m Talent

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has hailed the return of Philippe Coutinho after the Brazilian marked his recovery from a shoulder injury with a cameo appearance in defeat to Arsenal last weekend.

Coutinho was a half-time replacement for Aly Cissokho and inspired a second-half turnaround which saw Luis Suarez hit the post before The Gunners ran-out 2-0 winners.

The Brazilian hasn't featured alongside both Suarez and striker partner Daniel Sturridge due to injury and suspension since moving to Liverpool in the last January transfer window and after his impact at the Emirates last week, Rodgers can't wait unleash the 21 year old against Fulham.

"We brought Coutinho on and he made the field a little bit narrower whilst allowing us to maintain the two up front," said Rodgers.

"And he was terrific when he came on. He's a wonderful player and we would've loved to have started him but he's only come back into the fold, and got the medical clearance, in the last couple of days. But his introduction gave us the opportunity to control the game more with the ball.

"He's a wonderful player and a big talent for around £8m," added Rodgers. "He is remarkable. His feet, his talent and his ability on the ball."

In defeat to league leaders Arsenal, who extended their advantage at the top to five points following goals from Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey, Coutinho's return was the sole positive from Liverpool's trip to north London.

After playing infrequently with Suarez and Sturridge - Liverpool's fearsome striker partnership - Coutinho's recovery means Rodgers finally has all three players available to him.

And former striker John Aldridge says: "The manager has to play a system which ensures we get the best out of Coutinho, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge over the coming months.

"Whether he sticks with 3-4-1-2 and plays Coutinho just behind the front two in the centre, or changes to a flat back four and plays the Brazilian on the left hand side, I'm not sure.

"We can't always be relying on Suarez and Sturridge for goals and hopefully Coutinho's return will help to ease the burden on them.

"The bench did look strong on Saturday and that's a good sign that we're getting players back."