Jordan Henderson considers the contributions of two new recruits at Manchester City on Monday evening to be an early indicator of the quality brought in by Brendan Rodgers this summer.

Amid the disappointment of a 3-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, full-back Alberto Moreno settled quickly into the requirements of the Reds during his debut after arriving from Sevilla.

Lazar Markovic, meanwhile, was introduced in the second half to alter the attacking approach and impressed with his incisive passing and direct running at the opposition defence.

Earlier that day, Italy forward Mario Balotelli had been confirmed as Rodgers' ninth signing in the close season - and Henderson is excited by the potential brimming within the squad.

"I think you only have to look at the players who made their debut against City, the way they worked getting up and down the pitch," the midfielder reflected.

"Alberto Moreno got plenty of crosses in and Lazar Markovic came on later in the game and looked very sharp and confident.

"I thought they were brilliant and we've still got Mario Balotelli to come into the side too, so hopefully he can play some part at the weekend.

"If you look at the game against City, we dominated it for the first 40 minutes with the ball and were arguably the better side. Then they got one just before half-time and it gave them a big lift at an important point in the game."

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The Reds have an immediate opportunity to put the disappointment in Manchester behind them when they travel south to Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday.

In the corresponding fixture of 2013-14, Henderson was a central figure as Rodgers' charges ran riot at White Hart Lane, racking up a remarkable 5-0 victory at the home of a rival.

The No.14, who notched the second goal on that day last December, added: "It was definitely one of the stand-out games for us last season.

"We dominated from start to finish, played really well and obviously got a brilliant result, so hopefully we can do the same this season. But we know that it will be a difficult game.

"From the off, everyone was right up for the game. We knew it was an important game and everything clicked on the day.

"We scored some fantastic goals, played some great football and it was one of those days when everything seemed to go the way you would want it to."