Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has praised the influence of Brendan Rodgers as the current boss of the Premier League side, insisting that the future looks bright at Anfield.

The Frenchman, who enjoyed a successful spell with the club between 1998 and 2004, saw the 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby and liked what he saw from the new man.

“Brendan plays the right way and I’m pleased he’s given a chance to some of the young players. Some are very good,” Houllier told The Sun.

“Liverpool posed a major problem to Everton in changing the system in the second half and I thought Brendan was very clever. It really helped the team and in the end they probably could have won it.”

The 65-year-old led Liverpool to a domestic cup treble in 2001 during his spell at the club and added the European Super Cup to the trophy cabinet later that year before being replaced by Rafael Benitez in 2004.

Houllier was also happy with the youngsters coming through the ranks at his old club, claiming that they can develop into star names at Anfield.

“Raheem Sterling could be a major player,” he continued.

“Suso, Andre Wisdom and Joe Allen are all good. The future looks bright.”