Reds Legend Insists Liverpool Still Facing Several Years Without Premier League Title

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has admitted that he can't see his old club winning the Premier League title in the near future - over 25 years since the Reds were last champions of England. 

Writing in his first column for the Telegraph ahead of the Merseysiders' crunch clash against Manchester United on Saturday, Carragher insisted that the Reds will extend their wait for a top flight title for at least a handful more seasons. 

He wrote: "Liverpool will not win the title this season. I am not convinced Jürgen Klopp will ever be able to bring it back to Anfield. I am not sure when my old club will win it again. I certainly do not see it happening in the near future."

The former defender blamed the strength of the competition for his pessimism, continuing: "Liverpool must face a harsh reality. It is no longer appropriate to evaluate the success or otherwise of a Liverpool manager based on whether he wins the league. The competition is too strong to set the bar so high."

He also claimed that the Reds' systematic lack of action in the transfer window left them constantly playing catch-up, adding: "Last summer Liverpool and United were in a similar position; preparing for the Champions League, knowing to go up a level and be serious title contenders they had to make the right signings.

"United, in sixth, acted. Liverpool, in fourth, did not. This is a trend. It is typical of what happened when Brendan Rodgers and (under previous owners) Rafa Benítez and Gérard Houllier had their best sides. 

"Houllier, Benítez and Rodgers were in a position where they needed one more step to give good teams an even better chance of winning the title. They could not do it. My fear is Klopp will be looking back at the summer as his opportunity spurned."