Liverpool news: Jurgen Klopp to blame for Reds problems, not FSG - Jason McAteer

That’s the verdict of former Anfield favourite Jason McAteer following his old side’s stumbling start to the season.

Liverpool approached the 2017/18 campaign with plenty of optimism after the fans were promised a record summer of spending.

And although Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andrew Robertson arrived on Merseyside, a number of targets were missed out on.

Liverpool have paid the price for failing to add a centre-back to their defensive ranks, with Southampton unwilling to sell Virgil van Dijk.

McAteer reckons Jurgen Klopp should receive the flak for not having an alternative in mind, rather than FSG.

McAteer told beIN SPORTS: "There’s not a lack of ambition from the owners. They’ve given the manager virtually an open chequebook.

"He had over £150m to spend. Had they gone for Van Dijk at £70m, [Naby] Keita had come as well for £60m, bought Salah, you’re looking at over £160m there that they were willing to outlay.

"Yeah, he’s dipped into their with Oxlade-Chamberlain, which I’m not so sure about why he brought him in. I don’t think offensively we needed strengthening. I thought we had enough cover, we’d got enough players. 

"I thought that was a bit of a strange buy. Whether he sees that as something for the future, because he might lose one or two players, remains to be seen.

"Certainly, the owners haven’t lacked ambition with the money they’ve given him. The recruitment comes down to the manager.

"Unfortunately he didn’t get the players he wanted in the market. But, the problem for me is, he didn’t have a Plan B.

"If you can’t get Van Dijk, and you know you need a centre-half, then surely there must be a Plan B? Surely there must be someone else.

"He didn’t go in the market and buy that someone else and now we’re seeing the downside of not doing that."

Meanwhile, Liverpool are back in Premier League action when they take on Huddersfield at home tomorrow (3pm).