Steven Gerrard believes a move to Liverpool has provided Stewart Downing with the perfect stage on which to showcase his undoubted talent.
The Reds spent big in order to lure the winger away from Premier League rivals Aston Vila over the summer, with £20million invested in a player they hope will flourish on Merseyside.
Downing has made a quiet start to life at Anfield and is yet to hit the heights he scaled so impressively at Middlesbrough and Villa.
There have, however, been signs of late that he is starting to find his feet, with an impressive performance put in while donning the colours of England in a friendly date with Sweden on Tuesday.
He will now be looking to transfer that form onto the domestic stage, and his captain at club level is confident the 27-year-old will prove to be a shrewd acquisition for Liverpool.
Gerrard told LFC Magazine: "I think the move was perfect for him at this point of his career. He was the star at Middlesbrough and I think he moved up to Villa and proved he could be one of the best players in the league.
"I think at the age he's at it was perfect for him to sign for us. I felt he was a player we needed and that we were a club he needed to be at.
"He now has a platform here to prove over the next five or six years that he's one of the best players in the league. He can really nail down that left-side role and make it his own."
While Gerrard is a fan of Downing, he has also added his name to Luis Suarez's growing list of admirers - with the Uruguayan forward having been a revelation at Anfield following his January arrival from Ajax.
"To see Luis day in, day out has been a real eye-opener for me," added Gerrard.
"I knew he was a good player. Having worked with him on a regular basis I think he has the potential to be one of the best in the world."
Liverpool has slipped 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester City in the Premier League, but Gerrard believes boss Kenny Dalglish has the right tools at his disposal to ensure that the 2011/12 campaign will be a productive one for the Reds.
Gerrard, who is likely to miss Sunday's crunch clash with Chelsea as he recovers from an ankle problem, said: "I think the squad is looking stronger, probably the strongest we've had for a long time. Now it's all about delivering.
"The tools are all there, now we need to work hard, focus on each game and try to build on what we've shown over the last 20 or so games."
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