Sterling, who played the full 90 minutes at Tynecastle in his first competitive start, impressed Rodgers enough to suggest he could be in line for more first-team outings in the future.

The 17-year-old made a number of impressive forward runs and tested goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald on occasions and Rodgers had nothing but praise for the former QPR youngster.

"He's very good at the one versus one. He had a good test tonight, the right-back did well, but I thought young Raheem showed some great moments," Rodgers told ITV.

"He's 17 years of age and you've seen him in the first half.

"Tactically he's improving all the time, his pressing was good, he was starting to read the game and show good football intelligence, and obviously when he then has the ball he's really exciting.

"He arrived in some good areas and was a real threat for us. He's a part of the group, he's training with us every day, and the idea is to get him experience."

The Liverpool manager also said he was delighted by the performance of his players after they defeated a spirited Hearts side, backed by a vocal home support.

"I thought the players were excellent," he said.

"First and foremost it was a win, which was very important in European games and in any games but certainly coming to a place like this, where the crowd are right up for it.

"I thought we had a problem (in the) first half with our positioning on the field. In order to keep good possession you need good positioning.

"Even though we arrived in good areas, that was something we spoke about at half-time.

"(In the) second half I thought our management of the game was much better. (We) kept possession better and we stayed patient, and the goal came from a very good move.

"It was a good win, a difficult match for us. The crowd were fantastic here, our supporters were brilliant as well and like I said, it was a real good game."