Manchester United do not need to strengthen their squad to compete for honours. That is according to Liverpool legend John Barnes, who believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can learn a lot from Jurgen Klopp about moulding a title-challenging team.
The Red Devils have not won the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, with their highest finish in the table coming in Jose Mourinho’s second campaign in charge when he guided the team to a second-place finish.
An electric run of form before the postponement of professional football in the United Kingdom due to the COVID-19 outbreak saw the Old Trafford outfit storm back into contention to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
It raised hopes among fans that a title challenge could be on the cards in the 2020/21 campaign – but Barnes believes it is the mental side of the game that makes Solskjaer’s squad inferior to league leaders Liverpool and last term’s champions Manchester City.
And the Anfield icon identified three key factors – “humility, togetherness, belief” – that makes those two teams so much better than the likes of United and the rest of their ‘Big Six’ rivals.
Speaking to BonusCodeBets.co.uk, Barnes said: “Liverpool haven’t got better players than Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham, but what they have is more harmony, more togetherness, more belief and more humility with the players.
“They have a different character within them which makes them far more successful.
“Manchester United don’t need any other players because they have good players, same with Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea.
“The reason why Manchester City and Liverpool are the best teams is because of the character and attitude that they have.
“The fact that the managers have complete power to make decision which makes the environment that they’re in more successful and more consistent.
“What they need are the qualities that Liverpool have, which is humility, togetherness, belief.
“The fans and the players have to feel that the manager is in charge like they do with Klopp and Pep.
“Liverpool fans have to take a lot of credit for the way Brendan Rodgers was fired as he never had that power.”
United are scheduled to be back in action on April 4 against Brighton and Hove Albion but it appears unlikely that Premier League will resume action by that date.
The top-flight’s 20 clubs and league chiefs are due to meet on Thursday to discuss the way forward amid the COVID-19 crisis.
