Manchester United legend Roy Keane believes the glory years could be returning to Liverpool, and has pinpointed a moment he felt has been ‘massive’ for them.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former United captain was one of a number of pundits to discuss Liverpool’s prospects this season and whether or not they are the real deal in terms of competing with Manchester City for the Premier League title.
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Keane said he felt everything was in place for Jurgen Klopp to bring silverware to Anfield, and he praised a number of their key players, including the front three and goalkeeper Alisson, despite his mistake that led to the Jesse Lingard goal in Sunday’s game.
However, he also singled out the January signing of Virgil van Dijk as being critical for them, suggesting that bringing in the Dutchman has been one of the game-changing moments in their development.
Liverpool are now one of the meanest defences in Europe thanks to Van Dijk, and he instantly improved them when he joined from Southampton in the middle of last season, with their defensive errors costing them in the first few months of the campaign.
‘Can they maintain it? Without a shadow of a doubt’ Keane said.
‘They have the squad, they all seem onside – when you win football matches you get that momentum, confidence. Unless they have a disaster with injuries to their attacking players, they’ll be in the mix.
‘We’ve thought with Liverpool over the last few years, yes, they’re nice to watch but are they really going to be good enough to win the big prizes?
‘I think the signing of Virgil van Dijk was massive. I know the goalkeeper made a mistake but he’ll be a massive player for Liverpool and if they stay injury-free with the attacking players, there are trophies on the way to Anfield, without a shadow of a doubt.’