Brendan Rodgers has said that the "wonderful" Philippe Coutinho is well on his way to becoming as influential as Luis Suarez was for Liverpool.
The Brazilian struck a last-gasp winner from 25 yards in tonight's 2-1 win at 10-man Bolton Wanderers as the Reds advanced into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
With 31 Premier League goals, Suarez - now at Barcelona - spearheaded Liverpool's title challenge last season, only to miss out by a point, and Rodgers says that Coutinho is developing into a similar figure.
"He will become world class in the next couple of years," he told reporters.
"Luis Suarez was at a level then he played in this team and grew and grew with the model and went into the world-class bracket and I can see Coutinho falling in the same sort of way.
"He might not be as prolific as Suarez was but he is certainly on the way to that. He is a wonderful, wonderful player. Signing a new deal shows he is really committed to Liverpool and his development."
The 22-year-old, who set up both goals in a 2-0 win over West Ham United on Saturday, extended his contract until 2020 recently.
Shane Callaghan
