Harry Maguire told ESPN that Liverpool have ‘top players all over the pitch’ ahead of their visit to Manchester United on Sunday.
From Manchester United’s perspective, they are sitting comfortably in the Premier League table, but Liverpool, on the other hand, are fighting for those Champions League spots.
There are already seven points separating Liverpool and fourth-placed Chelsea, who beat Fulham on Saturday, so with only a few weeks left of the season, any further slip-ups could now become costly.
It’s not been the title defence that Liverpool planned for at the start of the campaign, and it’s been a season of struggle in truth, but Maguire is still aware of the quality that is set to face his side.
“They are a top team,” said Maguire. “They are the champions and had a great season last season.
“But they have top players all over the pitch. It’s a game we are going into, it’s going to be a big derby game and one that we look forward to.
On whether that gap between Liverpool has now gone: “Yeh, obviously last season the gap, with the points tally, the league table doesn’t lie.
“We have closed that gap. But I’m still sure they are a top team, with top players and a top manager. We are not going to take anything for granted. We will go into the game full of confidence ourselves. We need to look after ourselves and not focus on them. And make sure we put on a performance.”
Usually, both teams would play this fixture with the handbrake on, more concerned about making mistakes rather than getting into the faces of their opponents.
But given that Man United are comfortable in the table, it will be interesting to see how they approach this match because it could be a marker for next season.
Those at Old Trafford will feel they are getting closer to the Premier League title, whilst their neighbours will have other ideas and Liverpool will want to bang that door down once more when the likes of Virgil Van Dijk return back to action.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
