Bigger and better Divock Origi beginning to fulfil potential and repay Klopp

Liverpool's in-form striker Divock Origi believes he is yet to reach his full potential and is happy to repay the faith manager Jurgen Klopp has shown in him.

The 20-year-old struggled to break into the first-team under former manager Brendan Rodgers, but has impressed under Klopp, having scored all his eight Liverpool goals during the German's tenure.

Origi highlighted Klopp's faith in him by pointing towards last week's 1-1 Europa League draw with Borussia Dortmund at Westfalenstadion where the Belgian netted an important away goal.

“He knows I have a long way to go. I know that too... I know I have to be more consistent and that is what I am trying to do,” Origi said.

“To play a game like this is the reason I came to Liverpool. I have come to play in big games. I was very happy to get game time and when someone shows confidence in you, you want to reward it back.

“I am just glad everything went OK. The manager had a very hard choice to make but what I have learned is that we are in a group with a lot of talent. It was nice.”

Liverpool head into Thursday’s second leg Europa League quarter-final clash against Dortmund at Anfield with a slender advantage on away goal.

Selected ahead of Daniel Sturridge for the first leg, however, Origi believes the pair can play together as a pair if necessary as he has studied the Englishman's game closely. "He's a big player so when I play with him I see a lot of things I can bring out in my game," he said.

“I try to see how Daniel moves. He moves very smart, he comes between the lines and he finishes very well.

“He is creative so he has a lot of qualities and talent and he makes steps and became a big player so that’s my aim, to make the same progress like him.

“My qualities are more when I move around and use my speed. You have to learn how to use this. I have seen big improvements. The day after games when I don’t play we do a lot of intensive games when we play as a group and I try to use these moments to improve.

“It’s no secret that [in training] you have to do a lot of one-on-one situations and a lot of game situations.

“You always want to score and when you’re really trying for a goal you always find the solution and ask for advice from experienced players and the manager. That’s what you have to do as a young striker.”

Origi has learned plenty this season having arrived on the back of being named in Ligue 1’s worst XI during his season-long loan spell back at former club Lille.

“It was an awful year. It was a special situation but I’m sure it made me a lot stronger when I came here,” he added.

“The football world it can build you up and you can sometimes go down but when you have a good base you don’t have to worry.

“At the end of my career it (being named in the worst XI) will only make it more special when you can say ‘the year before this happened’.”

Origi has worked significantly on his physical strength after a realisation he was not ready for the demands of the Premier League despite his 6ft 1in frame.

Klopp revealed he put on so much muscle he has gone up a shirt size and he is now putting that to good effect, as highlighted last week in Germany when he gave the right side of Dortmund’s back four of Sven Bender and Lucasz Piszczek a testing time.

“When you come to the Premier League you realise you have to be physically strong because it is a very intensive league,” he said.

“I came here and saw how professional all the players were. I was 19 years old - I only started playing top football when I was 17-and-a-half.

“Seeing how the big players worked inspired me. I have been trying to work on this and I also think it is important for a football player to improve in every part. I think I have seen some improvements.”

Ahead of Thursday's game club captain Jordan Henderson has been ruled out for the rest of the season while striker Christian Benteke is still a couple of weeks away from fitness.