Brendan Rodgers: 'Luis Suarez saga made me better coach'

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has declared that a summer spent dealing with Luis Suarez and a long-running transfer saga has improved his man-management skills considerably.

Suarez failed in an attempt to force through a summer switch to Arsenal in search of Champions League football, with Liverpool sticking to their guns and rejecting a £40,000,001 offer for the Uruguay striker.

Rodgers has conceded that persuading Suarez his future belonged at Anfield tested him to the limit, but is adamant that after coming through a busy summer in the transfer market he is a better coach with a strong understanding of the Reds squad.

He told the ESPNFC.com: "Some of the things [Suarez] has done, he knows was wrong.

"Some of them have been really testing situations as a manage, there's been some challenging moments. Seventeen months on as I sit here, I'm a much better manager for that experience.

"Luis is very important but the most important thing for me is to protect the team ethos."

The 26-year-old has bounced back from a turbulent summer and a 10-match ban suspension in style, scoring eight goals in six Premier League games since late September.