Gary Neville believes that Liverpool would ‘definitely’ be in the frame to win the Premier League title if they had a player from one of the main contenders for the crown this season.
Declan Rice had been mentioned as a possible transfer target for the Reds earlier this year when he was at West Ham, although a £105m move to Arsenal over the summer (Sky Sports) realistically rules him out of joining the Merseysiders in the foreseeable future.
Jurgen Klopp has signed four midfielders since the end of last term but, according to Neville, LFC still lack the ‘solidity’ in the engine room to genuinely contend for first place.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “If you put Declan Rice in Liverpool’s holding midfield position or you put Rodri in there, I’d be saying Liverpool would definitely be on for the title. My question mark is whether they’ve got enough solidity in midfield, enough defensive strength and power.
“I don’t think Liverpool will quite get there but they’re in the race, there’s no doubt, because of the manager. The manager is absolutely outstanding. He’s one of the best, but I think it’ll be Arsenal and [Manchester] City again when it comes towards the end.”
Rice has proven to be a top-quality midfielder throughout the last few years in the Premier League and gave a tremendous performance in the Gunners’ statement victory over Pep Guardiola’s side on Sunday, ending the match with the joint-highest Sofascore rating of anyone on the pitch.
Klopp has used Alexis Mac Allister in the number 6 role in the early weeks of the season at Liverpool, although the Argentine is perhaps better suited to playing further forward.
The England international could well have been perfect for the Reds, but if we’re to contend for title glory again this season or next, it’ll have to be done with someone else as our midfield anchor.
You can view Neville’s comments below (from 10:08), via Sky Sports Premier League on YouTube: