Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez should be judged on their contribution next season and anything they produce this term is simply a bonus according to Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish.
The pair joined the Reds late in January and whilst Suarez was able to win over Kopites with a debut goal against Stoke, Carroll wasn’t able to wear the Reds No.9 shirt until March due to a thigh injury and is yet to break his scoring duck.
Dalglish is however adamant that the pair should be judged more vigorously in 12 months time.
"Anything we get out of them this season will be a real bonus," Dalglish told the Daily Mail. "It is good to see them getting an opportunity to play together and get an understanding and we will keep working on that.
"But this time next year would be the better time to judge that when they have had time to settle in."
The pair is expected to start in Monday’s game with Manchester City after a week in which Dalglish declared captain Steven Gerrard and Danish defender Daniel Agger will both miss the rest of the campaign.
The Liverpool boss has, however, moved to praise the attitude of his players since his arrival and believes they have shown real improvement since the turn of the year.
"I think we have paid credit to the players many times in the past and there is no need to change that," added Dalglish.
"I know we have not won every game but the attitude and commitment of the players has been superb and the way they have responded to the change [of manager] has been a great credit to them.
"Their ambitions match the club's and if they don't they won't be here.
"So it is onwards and upwards and we'll take Man City's game on Monday and see what we can get from that."
Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly will join Gerrard and Agger in the stands for the visit of City as the pair who has recently operated as wing-backs for the Reds look set to be ruled out for another month.
Despite seeing his squad down to the bare bones, 60-year-old Dalglish has no intention of taking his eye off objectives and is intent on improvement as the campaign draws to a close.
"We have never predicted anything other than we will concentrate fully on the next game,” said the Reds boss.
"I don't see any reason why you should change the habits of a lifetime - we said we would play every game, add the points up and see where we are.
"We're obviously happier being sixth than seventh but we'd also be happier being fifth than sixth.
"The football club has greater ambition than to settle for sixth spot and we'll be looking to improve on that as best we possibly can.
"We are better than sixth but we've got to prove that on the pitch.
"We have to prove on the pitch that we deserve to be higher in the table than what we are, we have to set our ambitions higher than that."
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