Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has suggested that Steven Gerrard does not have a "God-given right" to walk back into the team when he returns to fitness.
The Reds captain has been out of action with a hamstring injury since Liverpool's 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur last month.
Since then, the team, who have been captained by Jordan Henderson, have secured five victories and just one defeat.
When asked in today's news conference if Gerrard will return to the team, Rodgers told reporters: "There is no-one in the squad who has a God-given right to walk straight into the team. It probably would be [an issue] for other people but certainly not for me and it wouldn't be for Steven.
"He is very much a team player and if he was on the bench because the team was in good form and playing well I think everyone respects that.
"I have shown my time here players who are performing well, irrespective of price or status, they play - simple as that. For me the most important thing in the first case is having Steven available. He is an outstanding player still and having him back makes us a better squad."
Liverpool will switch their focus to the FA Cup when they take on Blackburn Rovers at Anfield on Sunday in the quarter-finals.
Danielle Joynson
