TWO months ago Nuri Sahin appeared to have lit the blue touchpaper on his Liverpool career.

Having announced his arrival on a season-long loan from Real Madrid with a match-winning double at West Brom in the League Cup, he produced an inspired performance in the 5-2 rout of Norwich City three days later.

Luis Suarez’s hat-trick grabbed the headlines but Sahin’s contribution was equally as eye-catching in Liverpool’s first league win of the campaign.

Playing in an advanced central midfield role ahead of Steven Gerrard and Joe Allen, the German-born Turkish international’s touch and vision left the Canaries chasing shadows.

Sahin scored one and made another for Suarez – leaving Brendan Rodgers to field questions about his chances of securing the 24-year-old’s services on a permanent basis next summer.

The fact that Liverpool had beaten off competition from Arsenal to land Sahin for this season was hailed as a masterstroke. However, since that memorable afternoon at Carrow Road, Sahin has failed to kick on.

Norwich paid the price for giving him both time and space to play but other sides haven’t made the same mistakes.

In the following league game against Stoke City he was a passenger as the Potters got in his face and he was bullied out of it before being hauled off. Once again against Reading when Rodgers rung the changes it was Sahin who was the first to make way.

In the derby at Goodison he didn’t emerge for the second half such was the paucity of his contribution in the opening 45 minutes.

At home to Newcastle and away to Chelsea he was also withdrawn before Rodgers’ patience ran out.

For the past three Premier League games Sahin has been reduced to being a bench-warmer.

Suso was preferred in a central role at home to Wigan, while Jordan Henderson got the nod ahead of Sahin against both Swansea City and Tottenham.

During those matches when Rodgers has been looking for someone to come on and make an impact he has instead turned to Jonjo Shelvey, Joe Cole and Oussama Assaidi rather than Sahin.

The feeling persists that Sahin has struggled to adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League, but that argument is refuted by the manager.

“Nuri’s attitude has been first class,” he said. “I always look at the midfield players and look at goals, assists and tackles won.

“We have a lot of good midfield players and with Nuri he has come in and played more games than he has probably thought.

“He is a good guy who is working hard. It is just about the balance really. I don’t think he has struggled with the physical side of it. He has played in Germany. It’s just the tempo here is greater.

“You have to respect that he has come back from nearly a year out of it. This first six months he has played quite a number of games.

“I have had a good chance to assess him and see where he is at. But if you are out of the team, you just have to continue to work hard. When your chance comes, you have to take it.”

The fact is Liverpool didn’t pay a 2 million euros (£1.6million) loan fee and agree to meet Sahin’s bumper wages for him to be on the periphery. The player himself admitted that the main attraction of Anfield was the prospect of regular first team football.

Yet nearly halfway through his loan spell, he finds himself down the pecking order. His role at Anfield is undefined.

With Lucas Leiva back fit and set to feature against Southampton today, the competition for places in central midfield just got even greater.

It’s only 18 months since Sahin was voted Bundesliga Player of the Year and landed a £10million move to Real Madrid. The ability is there but he needs to dig deep and prove he has the stomach for the fight ahead.