Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted his players were happy with his squad rotation, warning no one was guaranteed a starting place.
The arrival of Virgil van Dijk in a £75million move from Southampton is set to add to the Premier League side’s depth, with Joel Matip or Dejan Lovren likely to be demoted from a starting spot at centre-back.
Klopp, whose team overcame Leicester City 2-1 on Saturday, said there were no complaints from his players about his rotation.
“They are buying into it. Nobody told me anything different,” the German told UK newspapers.
“If you want to be part of a really good football club you need to respect there are a lot of other really good players.
“We are professionals. My job is not to keep them all happy. I can’t do that every day, but I can as often as they let me do it.
“It’s all about performing. If you perform it’s not guaranteed you will play the next game.”
Liverpool sit fourth in the Premier League, but Klopp’s men are just four points adrift of second-placed Chelsea and three behind Manchester United.
The former Borussia Dortmund coach said his side’s recent displays had been pleasing.
“Gini Wijnaldum played a fantastic game in the last game, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain too. Dominic Solanke was really strong,” Klopp said.
“With the performance level we’ve delivered, it’s really high. Results-wise maybe it’s not that sexy but all the draws we were closer to winning than losing. That is another important thing.”
Liverpool visit Burnley in their next outing on New Year’s Day.
