Brendan Rodgers
New Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. REUTERS

Brendan Rodgers has warned Liverpool's fringe players they will be sold unless they adapt to his brand of football in pre-season.

The 39-year-old promised his Reds side would play the kind of stylish, attacking football which won him a reputation as one of the game's most promising young coaches while at Swansea.

But Rodgers cautioned it could take a couple of years before he had a squad capable of challenging for major honours again.

"For me it is going to take time for how I want to play and the philosophy I want to introduce," Rodgers told the official Liverpool Web site.

"My longer-term aim is to arrive here seeing how quickly we can do so. The principles of your game are based on the players you have and there is no doubt I'll have a look at that and see if there is anyone I need to bring in to improve that."

Rodgers was named as Kenny Dalglish's successor as Liverpool manager earlier this month after he guided Swansea to a well-earned 11th place finish in their debut season in the Premier League.

"We want to play winning football, effective football," Rodgers added. "I know what we need to play that way and win that way but ultimately that will be the job of the next period of time.

"It is about results and the progress of the team but we will make our first steps and hopefully that will improve over the next few years.

"What we need to do is improve the team and the quality of the team and hopefully over the next couple of years we will be ready to challenge and ready to compete."

Rodgers was quick to downplay expectations surrounding the club's ability to challenge for a top-four finish but insists he would work hard to improve last season's eighth place finish.

"I have conditions to work in. I create a framework and the players come in and adhere to it," said Rodgers.

"I hear people talking about working hard but for me it is an obligation - it's not a choice.

"We all work hard in our everyday lives as people and for players it is no different.

"It is quite simple. You come in and do a hard day's work. You make sure in training and on match days you come in and you can take your top off and wring it out and it will be soaking wet.

"It is that honesty that you want. If you can work hard and you have got talent it takes you a long way.

"That will be the emphasis for me here - to try to reinforce that and ensure that commitment to the cause is important because we have a cause to fight for here."