Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers feels his men need to show more resilience if they are to challenge for honours in the coming seasons.

The Reds’ slim hopes of finishing in the top four are now all but over after they suffered their fourth top-flight defeat in seven games when going down 1-0 to Hull City at the KC Stadium on Monday night.

The Merseysiders’ season has fallen away in recent weeks after a superb middle section, when it looked as though they might sneak into next season’s Champions League.

Injuries to key players have not helped, with England striker Daniel Sturridge playing little part in proceedings this term and Steven Gerrard also absent for long periods due to fitness issues.

And, with the Anfield legend and former England captain about to bring down the curtain on his illustrious career at Liverpool, the remaining players will no longer be able to lean on their talisman in times of need next season.

And, with that in mind, Rodgers feels that his squad will now have to adopt a much stronger mental approach to ensure that they are competitive and can give the fans what the desire.

“The challenge for next year is to build a team that can get through the rough waters as well and that is going to be critical for us,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of fantastic players but when it is tough we have to get through that and if we want to make a challenge like we did last year, that is what we have to do.”