Barnes tips Diouf for stardom

The 22-year-old suffered an indifferent opening campaign in which his controversial antics off the pitch greatly overshadowed his rather subdued efforts on it. Despite such a poor return on £10m thus far, Barnes has urged the Reds to find a way of getting the best out of the enigmatic striker.

Barnes said: "He is a big player. He is a fantastic individual player but I think he has to be incorporated into the team system and team pattern.

"The best passing teams win. El-Hadji Diouf is a fantastic player and a good dribbler. If you could incorporate some of the individual skill together with team play then Liverpool would have the benefit of a great player.

"He works hard, chases back and tackles back. In the Worthington Cup Final he gave Mikael Silvestre a tough time. Not many get the better of Silvestre as he is strong but Diouf gave him a hard time. He got past him attacking as well as defending well against him.

"If you can integrate him into the team system as well as being an individual he can be a big asset for Liverpool.