Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that Liverpool are genuine contenders for the Premier League title this season following the club's revival under manager Jurgen Klopp.
The Merseyside outfit are currently level on points with Manchester City and Arsenal, who are first and second respectively in the league table.
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last seven fixtures in the top flight and have six more points than their arch rivals Manchester United, who reside seventh after nine games.
Ferguson spent more than 25 years battling against Liverpool during his successful spell in charge of the Red Devils, but now he is watching from the sidelines, the Scotsman is concerned that Klopp could be the man to bring glory back to Anfield.
"He has done a really good job and revived Liverpool's enthusiasm," Ferguson told Kicker. "It can happen that big clubs lose it. For two decades, Liverpool changed managers without building their own identity.
"You can now well and truly sense that you have to count them in this year. You can see Klopp's dedication on the sideline, I'm convinced his work in training is similar. He's a strong personality. That's absolutely vital at a big club."
The first meeting of the season between Liverpool and United ended in a goalless draw earlier this month.