Houllier said: "Neil wants to stay with Liverpool and knows that we want to keep him. Moves are already underway to sort that out. He is a very level-headed boy and I believe a lot of that comes from a father who played the game. Neil can go to his dad for help and advice."
"When he scored three out of nine goals in our friendly games, I thought: 'Hang on. Scoring goals is second nature to this boy'.
"I kept him in the squad and his progress has been rapid. He is a goal threat and he has the strength to suggest he could play alongside Michael."