'Mario signing gives us a big lift'
Jordan Henderson believes the capture of Mario Balotelli will give everyone in the squad a huge boost in Liverpool's quest for glory in 2014-15.
Brendan Rodgers secured the signature of the Italian international, subject to registration, on Monday and the England midfielder has welcomed the new addition.
"I think everyone is happy and looking forward to playing with him because he is a talented player and a very big player," Henderson told Liverpoolfc.com.
"Hopefully he can come into the squad and gel straight away and give us a big lift."
Reflecting on Monday night's 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, Henderson felt there were some positives to take from the overall performance, but admitted the first goal changed the course of the game.
He added: "It's hard to digest with it being 3-1 and we are disappointed but I felt up until the first goal we were dominating the game, especially with the ball and I felt we were the better team.
"We created one or two chances and we were very comfortable in possession but when they scored it gave them a lift, it gave the crowd a lift and it was bad timing from our point of view just before half time. I think had we gone in at half-time at 0-0 then it's a different game.
"We tried to come out for the second half and give it a go, but unfortunately we conceded two more goals and that's one thing we will have to work on during the week."
Alberto Moreno made a highly satisfactory first start in a red shirt while Lazar Markovic came on for his debut and really caught the eye.
Henderson insists their performances bode well for the remainder of what is set to be a hectic campaign.
He said: "Alberto was getting forward and getting up and down the pitch brilliantly and putting some great balls in and I thought he was brilliant.
"Lazar looked very lively when he came off the bench and was very sharp and confident on the ball, so I'm sure they will be very happy with their debuts and hopefully they can only get better."