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Liverpool need strength in depth to recreate glory days: McDermott

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Liverpool: Juergen Klopp is the man to lead Liverpool but he will need to get the cheque book out to address his side’s lack of depth if he is to recreate the glory days on Merseyside, former Reds midfielder Terry McDermott said.


McDermott has recently published his autobiography, “Terry Mac: Living For The Moment”, which recounts his careers in playing and coaching as well as his role as a midfield fulcrum in a side that won six league titles and three European Cups during an eight-year spell at Anfield.


Speaking by phone from his home in Newcastle, where he was both a player and later assistant manager to Kevin Keegan, the 65-year-old said that Liverpool’s current squad was slightly too shallow to mount a title challenge.


“We haven’t got that strength in depth. We’ve got some great players, a fantastic manager, I think if you had the choice of any manager right now you’d go for Juergen Klopp, he’s a breath of fresh air,” McDermott said.


“He shows his emotions, whether it be good or bad, but he’s going to be fantastic for the next four or five years.” The departure of the influential Sadio Mane to the African Cup of Nations in January coincided with a slump in Liverpool’s fortunes, something McDermott says illustrated the need for a deeper squad.


“If you’d asked me in December, could Liverpool win the league, I’d have said yes,” he explains. “Then we had that horrible month where we fell apart because of that strength in depth.”


For McDermott, it is crucial that Liverpool address that issue in the summer, but to do so they will need to nab a spot in Europe, and preferably the Champions League, if they are to attract the best players.


“When you’re in Europe, you’ve got a better chance of bringing in quality players rather than your second- or third-choice players,” he said. — Reuters


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