Earlier this week Liverpool fans woke up to the wonderful news that Jon Flanagan, a critical figure in the Brendan Rodgers era, was very close to returning from injury.

Flanagan had not played since the last game of the 2013/2014 season and played a pivotal role, filling in at a left-back position, but he's since spent 19 months out through a serious knee injury.

This means Jürgen Klopp won't be too familiar with Flanagan, having joined in October and only seen him in training and for the Under-21s, but he has the attributes to use to his advantage to win himself a place in Klopp's side - having earned a standing ovation after being introduced off the bench in the Reds' FA Cup third-round replay win over Exeter City on Wednesday night.

Versatility:

In modern football it is very difficult to find players that can play in a wide range of positions but Flanagan is the sort of player who can be called upon and will play anywhere for you and get the job done. Although Klopp has Alberto Moreno and Nathaniel Clyne at his disposal and with Jose Enrique seemingly out-of-the-picture, a fully-fit Flanagan is more than capable of coming in at right-back or left-back and performing a rock solid role.

Flanagan's versatility will give Klopp one less worry as regards to team selection and although Flanagan does not have the pace of other full backs such as Łukasz Piszczek and Marcel Schmelzer, that Klopp has worked with at Borussia Dortmund, he more than makes up for this in his ability to settle into a position quite quickly and make it his own. Balance in a postion in football is key.

No nonsense approach:

Everybody knows what to expect when Jon Flanagan plays, a no-nonsense, old fashioned approach with crunching tackles and tight marking. Flanagan is not one to pull out of a challenge and I feel he will fit right in to Klopp's idea of "heavy metal football". Flanagan does the simple things right and that is what makes him so effective, he's never caught in two minds and is composed on the ball.

His style-of-play makes him reliable and someone to be reckoned with, you just cannot see Klopp doubting him for one second. At Melwood during the week, Klopp told reporters “Jon is in a really good way and we’re all happy about this."

Although Flanagan did not start the FA Cup replay against Exeter on Wednesday night, Klopp clearly showed that he wanted to give him a chance and there is a sense of trust between the two already - as Flanagan was handed a 40-minute cameo off  of the substitutes' bench.

Commitment:

Flanagan is a local lad, born and bred near Anfield and wears his heart on his sleeve both on and off the pitch. During that great 2013/2014 season we saw at first-hand his passion for the club when he scored that famous goal at White Hart Lane. It was a special moment not just for him and his fellow teammates but for the fans who watched as one of their own hit the big time.

Klopp will understand this coming from such a close-knit club at Dortmund and there is no doubt that Flanagan and himself will have a strong working relationship. This commitment is proved when you look at how highly Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard speaks of young Flanagan, as he posted a wonderful tribute to him on social media earlier before the Exeter game and the defender's return to first team football, saying: "I'm sure Anfield will erupt when he runs back onto the pitch after a 18 month lay off."

Gerrard understands what this means to Flanagan, a local lad living the dream who has a chance to prove himself to one of the worlds top managers. Flanagan has worked tremendously hard over those last 18 months to get back to this stage  but the work doesn't stop here.

Once Flanagan adjusts to the pace of Premier League football again, his passion and commitment will follow through and I firmly believe that these factors will catch the eye of Jürgen Klopp.