Jurgen Klopp urged to overhaul squad by former Liverpool striker Karl-Heinz Riedle

Jurgen Klopp needs to sign new players if he is to succeed at Liverpool, according to Karl-Heinz Riedle. The former Reds striker thinks his German compatriot is the right man to lead the club back to the top, but has warned he will need to overhaul the current squad.

In particular, Riedle thinks a lack of quality in defence is inhibiting Klopp's ambitions. But, with the right investment in the summer, the former Anfield striker thinks Klopp could help return the club to its former glory.

"He will be a success there if the club gives him the time he will definitely need," he explained to The Mirror. "If you see the team now, he must make some changes. They're not consistent at the moment. If you look at the back four, it's maybe not what Liverpool expect. You can see from Jurgen's football style that he needs some fresh players there next year."

Riedle also said Klopp has already shown he is capable of adapting to the unique demands of the Premier League. "He's done quite well with the team he has – he's also had problems with injuries – but now I think he's on the right track," Riedle said of the Liverpool boss.

"When he came here, he finished seventh in his first season. But the club was really down... Liverpool were not. They were actually spending a bit of money even last year, with Brendan Rodgers. So they've been thinking about battling for the championship."

Riedle claimed Klopp has adjusted his training methods since joining Liverpool because of the demands placed on players in England. "He has to adapt his style a little bit to English football and he's realised this already. He cannot train as hard as he did here because we don't have many games in a row, with no break in the winter," the ex-Liverpool player said.