Houllier said: "Steven can achieve so much and do so much for us. The first person who can help him achieve higher standards is himself, if he keeps the same focus and attitude towards his job.
"He has got an extremely high level of talent and he has improved in a lot of areas. He keeps improving. He trains like he plays, with the same involvement and commitment. It must come from him first, but also the whole staff who can help him reach another level.
"Steven has an influence on every game. He has an impact every time he plays. He defends well but he can also make goals and score. He is involved in a lot of decisive moments in a game.
"There is still so much to improve, but he is working so hard and with such commitment I am very confident that he can step up to another level."