Jordan Henderson has warned Liverpool that they cannot afford to lose the "outstanding" Raheem Sterling.
The highly-rated winger, 20, is reportedly heading for a summer exit after previously rejecting a £100,000-a-week contract extension to stay at Anfield.
Speculation has mounted that a switch to Manchester United interests the youngster, while newly-appointed Real Madrid boss Rafael Benitez revealed that he was a fan.
The Reds failed to re-qualify for the Champions League in a trying 2014-15 campaign that saw them finish sixth, but Henderson suggests that those disappointments could be a regular occurrence if they lose Sterling.
"It is exciting times but you have to keep your best players as well and Raheem is an outstanding player," he told The Telegraph.
"Off the pitch, everyone loves him. He's a great lad. He's getting a lot of criticism but I couldn't fault his work ethic. He hasn't got an ego. He's a huge player for us and we need to keep him."
Sterling's existing deal expires in 2017.
Shane Callaghan
