Heskey has made clear his intention to remain at the club and now it appears that his coach is only too happy to keep faith in the frustrating talents of the former Leicester City man.
Houllier said: "We want to keep Emile here and that is my hope but let's make sure we get that fourth place first," said Houllier.
"I think Emile could score more goals if he had more belief and I believe that will happen. He has real international qualities.
"He has a different style to Michael Owen, Milan Baros and Florent Sinama-Pongolle but he brings power and strength to the frontline.
"The only regret we have is that sometimes he doesn't use those qualities enough. When he gets the ball and turns to run at a defence he is practically unstoppable.
"He is a very nice guy. He is not an arrogant complacent person but a real team player.
"Maybe he could be more selfish because he scares defences when he's running into space."