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Jurgen Klopp urges Liverpool established players to prove worth

Jurgen Klopp
Image: Jurgen Klopp wants his Liverpool players to step up after the club's big summer spending

Jurgen Klopp has urged his established players to step up their performances following Liverpool's heavy investment in the summer transfer window.

Liverpool brought in Alisson, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri for a combined total of around £175m as they bid to improve on last season's fourth-placed finish in the Premier League.

With the midfield in particular undergoing reinforcement this summer, competition for places is fierce, but speaking to the club's official website ahead of their clash with Crystal Palace on Monday - live on Sky Sports - Klopp said: "We talk about Naby Keita, that's good, he's new. The world is like that. When it's new it's fantastic.

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"What you already have (must say) 'yeah, I'm still here too'.

"James Milner made big steps in the last three years, that's the truth. I don't want to judge his career but it feels like it's the best moment of his career.

"Gini Wijnaldum, no-one speaks about him. He can play the 'six' and the 'eight' in the way I don't know many players can. They don't talk about him.

Liverpool's Naby Keita in action during the Premier League match against West Ham United at Anfield
Image: Naby Keita impressed on his debut against West Ham last week

"We only spoke about these three but Fabinho didn't play a minute so far and we expect big things from him. Adam Lallana, a long time injured. There's Xherdan Shaqiri too."

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While his manager described him as enjoying the best form of his career, Milner acknowledged he has to maintain his performances if he wants to remain in Klopp's plans.

"I feel very good and very fit - I want to play every single game," Milner told Premier League Productions.

James Milner
Image: Klopp believes James Milner is in the best form of his career

"Obviously that's not going to happen, I'm sure, and you need to rotate to be successful with the amount of games we have. With the quality that's in the squad, I'm sure that's going to happen.

"But as long as I'm performing every time I step onto the field and making it as difficult as possible for the manager to leave me out of the side, I can't do any more than that.

"The biggest thing for me is that I want to be successful at Liverpool: to win trophies and for me to be a part of that and contribute to that."

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