SAINTS legend Rickie Lambert still has an “important role” to play at Liverpool.

That is the view of Reds boss Brendan Rodgers after only using the 32-year-old sporadically so far this season.

Lambert has only made one Premier League start for the club following a £4m summer move from Saints, and has come on as a sub in five other matches.

He has made one brief sub appearance in the Champions League, but was left on the bench last night as Liverpool lost 3-0 at home to Real Madrid.

Rodgers preferred to play Raheem Sterling through the middle in the second half last night after replacing Mario Balotelli with Lambert’s former Saints colleague Adma Lallana.

The problem Rodgers has is that Balotelli and Lambert do not fit his style of play when Sturridge is injured.

Both are less mobile and so less able to play the high tempo pressing game which was so successful last season when Rodgers had a genuinely world-class striker up front in the now-departed Luis Suarez.

That was evident last night as Lambert remained an unused substitute.

“I think Rickie has always been very clear on what the expectancy is on him to come in; he knew he would get games but knew he wouldn't be a starter,” said the Reds boss.

“That is how it has panned out for him. He is a great guy, he recognises the role he has to play and he is playing that role in training every day.

“He has been absolutely no problem at all.

“We needed something tactically different in the game last night which was about speed and mobility and that was why we put Raheem through the middle.

“You take the goal threat out of our team from last year and you take out a huge percentage so it is about finding a different way to get the same result.

“At this moment in time it hasn't been as fluent or efficient but we are working hard to try to master that.

“When Daniel plays it opens up more space for other players. It is something we want him to get back for as quick as we can but Rickie's role is an important role for us.

“It might not seem that because he has not been playing so much.”