Brendan Rodgers has said that being sacked by Reading has made him a more ruthless manager.

The Liverpool boss had a six-month spell in charge of the Royals in 2009.

Rodgers told the Daily Mail: "I realised I had been giving players too long to deliver.

"I was brought up wanting to develop young talent, and I was loath to cut them off after one or two games.

"I was giving them 10, but before I got any return, I was out of the door. The end point has to be reached quicker now, or someone else comes in."

Since taking over at Anfield, the 39-year-old has given games to a number of Liverpool's younger players including Andre Wisdom and Suso.

Liverpool host Reading this afternoon.