Much of the talk this summer has been about how much of a loss Luis Suarez will be to Liverpool, following his £75m move to Barcelona, and who on earth Brendan Rodgers can possibly bring in to replace him. Established world-class talents like Radamel Falcao and Edinson Cavani continue to be mooted, but is there already someone at the club ready and waiting to fill the void left by last season's Footballer of the Year? In Raheem Sterling, the Reds have an extraordinary young talent, and someone who could makes the fans forget all about Suarez. Of course, it would be ludicrous to say Sterling is even close to the unbelievable level the 27-year-old Uruguayan has been at over the last 12 months - it could be argued that only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are better in world football currently- but his potential is staggering. There is not a more exciting teenager in world football. He is lightning fast, has trickery in abundance, is as strong as an ox despite his diminutive frame and has an eye for goal. 10 goals last season was an impressive return, and he has started the new season in similar style with the opener in Liverpool's 2-1 win over Southampton on Sunday. He is already one of the most important players at the club. While Suarez is more of a striker than Sterling, the 19-year-old has shown how versatile he can be, thriving in a 'number 10' role during the latter part of the season as well as out wide. He has the vision to play in that central attacking midfield role, or as a second striker, and there's no reason why he can't link-up with Daniel Sturridge in the same devastating way Suarez did. Many on Merseyside are already dubbing Sterling as Sturridge the 'new SAS'. Having endured a tough spell at Anfield at the start of the 2013/14 campaign, Sterling roared back to become one of the Premier League's standout performers after Christmas. There is every chance he will go up another level this season, and may even be in the running for the major end-of-season awards himself come April and May. Liverpool have a player with the world at his feet, and someone who can become one of the best players in Europe over the next three or four years. Sometimes it's easy to be a little knee-jerk, but he really could be the man to replace Luis Suarez at Liverpool. Do you think Liverpool need to bring in another signing up front? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
