Mike Newell has branded claims that Kenny Dalglish is too old to manage Liverpool as "rubbish" and has backed the Scotsman to "turn things around".

The Reds have lost six of their last seven games and Dalglish, who has been widely criticised for his role in the slump, has been asked to deliver an evaluative report to the club's owners at the end of the season.

Newell, who played for Liverpool as a schoolboy and won the Premier League under Dalglish at Blackburn Rovers in 1995, is convinced that his former mentor will resurrect the Reds' fortunes in the near future.

"He'll turn things around," Newell told TalkSPORT. "There's been a lot of rubbish said about Kenny.

"It's rubbish that he's too old. He knows the game inside out. He's always a step ahead.

"He was left a mess at Liverpool and I'm not blaming Roy Hodgson for that, I'm talking about what went on before. It needed changing from top to bottom and you can't do that in 12 months, no-one could."

Liverpool are 16 points below the final Champions League qualifying place and only 14 points clear of the relegation zone.