Dalglish surprised by ´fantastic´ Downing

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has defended Stewart Downing, insisting the England international is a better player than he first thought.

Downing has come in for criticism in some quarters since his move to Anfield from Aston Villa over the summer, having scored just one goal for the club in an FA Cup victory over Oldham.

But Dalglish has used the midfielder 24 times in all competitions, and suggested Downing – naturally a wide midfielder – has had life on Merseyside made more difficult for him by the team’s need for him to play in a number of different positions.

“Stewart is a fantastic footballer, an England international, who made a big move in the summer to come here,” Dalglish said.

“For me, he’s better than I thought he was going to be.”

“I don’t think it’s been too comfortable for him because we’ve played him in two or three different positions. Maybe we have to look at ourselves and say we have to be fair as well.”

“But he’s better than I thought he was. He’s a better footballer – he’s also quicker than I thought.”

Downing is available for Liverpool as they take on Bolton at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday, with a win potentially enough to see Dalglish’s side move into the top five.