Kop legend Ian Rush has revealed his delight at the news Daniel Agger has agreed a four-year extension to his Liverpool contract.
The centre-back joined teammates Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt in committing his long-term future to the Reds on Saturday and Rush believes the 24-year-old will play a key role in the future of the club.
"Agger is a young player with a lot of potential and I think he could become a very important part of Liverpool’s future," said Rush.
"It’s obvious to say that the most important part of being a defender is being able to defend and Agger can certainly do that.
"He reads the game well, gets into good positions to make tackles and is decent in the air.
"But he also brings something different in that he is so comfortable on the ball that he can easily add to Liverpool’s midfield numbers on days when teams come to Anfield and don’t go beyond the halfway line.
The Dane has forged a reputation as a goal threat, having scored some spectacular strikes during his Anfield career - most recently in the 4-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers last month - and Rush admits he can see similarities between his old teammate Alan Hansen and Agger.
"If you have a player like Agger who can bring the ball out of defence it can make a massive difference, as I know from my own experience at Liverpool," added Rush.
"We were really fortunate to have a player like Alan Hansen who would break out of central defence and link up with play higher up the pitch.
"This was a really effective tactic for us, particularly when our opponents would try to play for a draw.
"The fact that we had a centre back who could start attacks meant that it was more difficult for us to be stopped and I think that Agger can do a similar job for the current team.
"I wouldn't like to compare him with Hansen, although there are obvious similarities, and Agger has the potential to score a lot more goals than Alan ever did!
"We have already seen the power of his shooting on several occasions and I think there are quite a few more goals to come from him because his technique is excellent.
"He is still learning but hopefully he is over his injures, because if Agger's progress continues he can become a very important player for Liverpool."
"Agger is a young player with a lot of potential and I think he could become a very important part of Liverpool’s future," said Rush.
"It’s obvious to say that the most important part of being a defender is being able to defend and Agger can certainly do that.
"He reads the game well, gets into good positions to make tackles and is decent in the air.
"But he also brings something different in that he is so comfortable on the ball that he can easily add to Liverpool’s midfield numbers on days when teams come to Anfield and don’t go beyond the halfway line.
The Dane has forged a reputation as a goal threat, having scored some spectacular strikes during his Anfield career - most recently in the 4-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers last month - and Rush admits he can see similarities between his old teammate Alan Hansen and Agger.
"If you have a player like Agger who can bring the ball out of defence it can make a massive difference, as I know from my own experience at Liverpool," added Rush.
"We were really fortunate to have a player like Alan Hansen who would break out of central defence and link up with play higher up the pitch.
"This was a really effective tactic for us, particularly when our opponents would try to play for a draw.
"The fact that we had a centre back who could start attacks meant that it was more difficult for us to be stopped and I think that Agger can do a similar job for the current team.
"I wouldn't like to compare him with Hansen, although there are obvious similarities, and Agger has the potential to score a lot more goals than Alan ever did!
"We have already seen the power of his shooting on several occasions and I think there are quite a few more goals to come from him because his technique is excellent.
"He is still learning but hopefully he is over his injures, because if Agger's progress continues he can become a very important player for Liverpool."
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