The Uruguay international has scored 22 goals already this season and his manager expects his outstanding form to trigger a summer of transfer speculation

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admits the form of Luis Suarez is likely to lead to a lengthy summer transfer saga.

The Uruguay international’s future is already the subject of intense speculation as a result of the controversial striker’s scintillating form for his club this season.

With Liverpool ninth and 12 points off a Champions League qualification berth, rumours have intensified in recent weeks, particularly given their 2-0 loss against Zenit St Petersburg in the first leg of a Europa League tie on Thursday.

Rodgers acknowledges that holding on to their ‘outstanding’ players is a priority as the end of the season rapidly approaches, but maintains Suarez is content on Merseyside despite the prospect of silverware being only a remote possibility.

“Even clubs that have won the league are faced with having to keep hold of their players. So there’s always going to be ­speculation about players here and we expect that to happen again,” he told the Daily Mirror.

“I am a realist. We’ve got some outstanding players here who other clubs will show interest in. But I can only speak from my experience of working with the players here and I think they are all happy.”

The 40-year-old manager has also spoken of his desire to strengthen the squad in the forthcoming transfer window, as he cites its current lack of depth as the reason for Liverpool’s failure to compete for a Champions League spot.

“I talk to the owners on a weekly basis, we all know what improvements have to be made. The size of our squad has been a problem for us this season because we’ve had to compete on four fronts,” he continued.

“I believe we are making progress, even though I know I was always going to be judged on whether we finish in the top four. That now looks unlikely, but I have got to be realistic. With the group of players we had at the start of the season, qualifying for the ­Champions League was always going to be difficult.”

The Spain international, who spent four years with the Anfield outfit between 2005 and 2009, believes the 40-year-old coach should be given more time at the helm

The Reds defender has tipped his team-mate to provide more cutting edge when he makes his return from a hamstring injury to face Michael Laudrup’s men at Anfield

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel believes returning striker Daniel Sturridge will be key to his side’s bid for victory against Swansea on Sunday.

The 23-year-old missed Monday’s clash with West Brom due to a hamstring injury and was cup-tied for the trip to Zenit St Petersburg on Thursday – with both games ending in 2-0 defeats.

But, after manager Brendan Rodgers revealed that the former Chelsea man will back for the visit of the Swans, Skrtel has claimed his reintroduction is a big boost.

“I think in the games Daniel has started, he has shown his skills, his quality and his strengths,” the defender told the club’s official website.

“He’s proved he can help the team and so I hope he will be back in the side for Swansea.

“With him our attacking strength is much higher. You can see that in the games he’s played so far. He links with Luis Suarez and with Steven Gerrard and he is a real danger for every defender he faces. He will help us to get the three points.

“He’s a difficult player to mark, he’s a top striker and its difficult to play against him in training.”

Michael Laudrup’s men face Bradford in the Capital One Cup final a week after their trip to Anfield, but the Slovakia international does not think the visitors will be distracted.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s before or after the cup final because they have good experience in their team,” he added.

“It’s going to be tough and we know we have to do our best. After a few bad games, we have to show our quality and get the three points.”