Liverpool favourite John Aldridge has lavished praise on Simon Mignolet, with the goalkeeper having bounced back from a torrid run of form and intense media scrutiny to become one of the club's best performers in 2015.
Mignolet, who moved to Anfield from Sunderland two years ago, attracted heavy criticism before Christmas period after a series of below par displays and questionable decisions that left manager Brendan Rodgers with little choice but to replace the Belgian international with rival Brad Jones for an "indefinite period".
Jones's time as Liverpool's first-choice keeper was soon ended by a thigh injury, however and Mignolet quickly restored to the lineup on Boxing Day after coming on as a first-half substitute during the narrow victory over Burnley.
Since that extended cameo at Turf Moor, the 26-year-old, who gave a candid interview last week in which he appeared to blame his well-documented struggles on a tendency to overthink in certain situations, has been in better form and his impressive display on Saturday evening helped Liverpool progress to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at the expense of Premier League rivals Crystal Palace.
"He had some dark days earlier in the season, but Simon Mignolet has been a shining light in the last month," Aldridge noted in a recent column for the Liverpool Echo.
"In fact, I think he's been Liverpool's best, most consistent player since the turn of the year. He was excellent against Palace, and deserves huge credit for turning around his season so spectacularly. I've always been a fan of his, even when he was struggling. And it's great to see him back to his best."
Such an obvious increase in Mignolet's confidence is a major boost for Liverpool, who have a relatively busy period of fixtures ahead owing to their involvement in the knockout stages of the Europa League.
Rodgers's side face Turkish outfit Besiktas in the round of 32 on Thursday and must negotiate a potentially tricky trip to Ronald Koeman's Southampton before the return leg in Istanbul next week.
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