As a boyhood Evertonian who later spent 13 years at Manchester United, Wayne Rooney won’t exactly be relishing the prospect of Liverpool winning the Premier League this season.
However, that’s what the 38-year-old thinks will happen, even after the Reds carelessly dropped points against his former club on Sunday.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, the ex-England international believes that the experience of key figures such as Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk will get us over the line.
With unconcealed reluctance, Rooney said: “It’s not my romantic side saying it, and I hope they don’t, but I’ve had this feeling for a while now that Liverpool might just snatch the title. Klopp will use his experience and Van Dijk will use his experience to win the title. I just think that Liverpool will edge it.”
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Although Arsenal have huge momentum and Manchester City have all the title-winning experience in the world, Liverpool certainly can’t be discounted as potential Premier League champions this season.
The late equaliser to salvage a point at Old Trafford was the latest example of the Reds fighting back from a losing position to earn a result, even if it wasn’t the victory they required to go back to the summit.
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Also, Klopp has managed to keep his team firmly in the title hunt despite almost all of his first-team players enduring spells out injured this term, including lengthy absences for the likes of Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota, all of whom are close to a comeback.
Sunday’s draw against United showed that Liverpool will need to be a lot more clinical if they’re to avoid squandering more points over the final seven league games of the season, but the impending return of the Portuguese maestro should help considerably in that regard.
Rooney caused us enough anguish during his playing days – now it’s time to leave him squirming at the prospective sight of Van Dijk hoisting the Premier League trophy at Anfield on 19 May!