Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he "really likes" what he has seen from Alex Oxldae-Chamberlain so far but believes there is still much more room for improvement.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, 24, was a transfer deadline-day signing for Liverpool, moving to the club from Premier League rivals Arsenal on August 31 in a deal worth a reported £35 million (Dh172.2m).
Oxlade-Chamberlain has endured a slow start to his Liverpool career, appearing from the substitutes bench and being limited to starts in cup competitions.
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However, in his first start in the Premier League, the England international produced an effective display in the 4-0 win at Bournemouth on Sunday. He set up Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah for his 14th league goal of the campaign and played his part from a central role in Liverpool controlling the midfield.
It was an encouraging performance from Oxlade-Chamberlain, who will hope he has bolstered his chances of facing former club Arsenal at the Emirates on Friday night.
For Klopp, he has been impressed with what he has seen from his newest signing and is convinced there is even more to come.
"It's only just the beginning and I really like it, I really like it. Hopefully he stays fit, that's the most important thing," Klopp told Liverpool's website.
"He can be much more decisive in a few moments. (He's sometimes a) little bit too much of a midfielder instead of a striker - there are a lot of things he can improve, but I'm really happy about the status quo."
Liverpool enter Friday's match against Arsenal in good form, collecting 21 points out of a possible 27, and while their forward line has excelled, their success has been built on a newfound defensive stability.
The Merseyside club have let in only four goals in nine games since losing 4-1 to Tottenham Hotspur in October and centre-back Ragnar Klavan, who has stepped in for the injured Joel Matip, believes Klopp's tactical work has paid off.
"After the defeat at Tottenham we made some changes," Klavan said. "Of course in football that kind of day can happen when things don't work out. The main thing is that you have to learn from it and keep moving forward," he added.
"We looked at things in training and we knew that as a whole team it was a challenge to address. The changes we made were not major corrections but it was clear we needed more stability in defence so in that kind of way it changed a little."
