Former Liverpool star John Barnes has claimed that new manager Jurgen Klopp will not be able to transform the team into Premier League title contenders this season.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund boss was appointed as Brendan Rodgers's successor last Thursday.

"He is the best man for stabilising Liverpool and maximising their potential," The Mirror quotes Barnes as saying. "Is Liverpool's potential good enough to win the league? I don't think so.

"We still need better players and I think one of the reasons he has been brought in is because of his knowledge of good, young German players.

"If everything remains positive, even if we don't win the league in the first year or second year, we have to keep the faith and know there is no better manager than Klopp."

Klopp will take charge of his first Liverpool game on Saturday when the Reds travel to North London to take on Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

After eight games, Liverpool sit 10th in the table, three points off the top four.