Jurgen Klopp has defended Daniel Sturridge after the injury-prone forward missed the German's first match in charge – a 0-0 draw with Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
Sturridge missed a large chunk of last campaign with hip and thigh problems, only returning earlier this season.
However, Klopp insists he has no concerns over his forward's fitness record, revealing he felt forced to overlook the England international after seeing Joe Gomez and Danny Ings sidelined with serious injuries.
"I trust this player 100 per cent. If Daniel is fit, then he can play no problem," Klopp said.
"If he is not then I don’t think about it because if the medics and physiotherapists tell it is not possible, then it is not possible.
"I have known Daniel for one week and for six days he was perfect in training. Everything we did he was full of power, skills.
"He was outstanding. There were so many good things and then he had this contact with [Jordon] Ibe.
"In another situation I would have talked to him and said ‘please try’. But we can't in a week of two ACL injuries.
"It was OK for Daniel to miss the Tottenham match. We need Daniel for sure and if we played this game on Thursday then maybe he would play."
Club great Jamie Carragher has been excited by Klopp's introduction and believes Liverpool's performance against Spurs demonstrated his tactical foundations.
"I liked what I saw. Very rarely do you see a manager stamp his authority on a team from day one, but that's what he did," the 37-year-old told Sky Sports.
"Over the week since he's had the job, we've been reading about what he is like as a manager - pressing, how much distance they are going to cover.
"Transition pressing was a massive thing for Klopp at Borussia Dortmund and it looks like it's going to be a really big thing for this Liverpool team.
"These are things you don't see from every team and that is what impressed me in the past from Klopp and we're seeing it from day one."
