Rodgers has ‘no concerns whatsoever’ over Liverpool captain Gerrard

The Reds captain, who retired from international duty this summer after leading the England squad during their poor World Cup campaign in Brazil, struggled to make an impact in the side's 3-1 Premier League defeat at West Ham on Saturday.

The 34-year-old midfielder has played every minute for Liverpool so far this season - in which they have lost three of their opening five league games - and since last weekend's match there have been questions over his ability to still handle the demands upon him.

However, when Rodgers was asked whether he had any concerns about the standard of Gerrard's display against West Ham, the manager said: "No concerns whatsoever, no.

"He is a brilliant player for us, really talented.

"It was a team performance overall that just wasn't quite up to scratch."

Rodgers added: "I feel we have managed his recovery really well in the last two seasons.

"Even when Steven was playing international football, I think if you look at his numbers and games and minutes he has played, you'll see in the last couple of seasons that it is as good as it has been in his career.

"He is obviously at the age where we will look at him individually as a player.

"We want him to be involved in our big games because of his experiences and his talent, and we'll always taper that recovery for him to allow him to be at the very best he can be."