Mark Lawrenson says Liverpool's owners must find a balance between signing young and experienced players in the summer if they hope to progress next season.

Brendan Rodgers has already said that the side will look at strengthening in the transfer window, having missed out on a top four finish for a fourth consecutive season

It's well known that Liverpool owners FSG are interested in taking on younger players with a good sell-on value and potential over players who can only serve the club in the short term, but Lawrenson argues that with Jamie Carragher retiring, experienced players are a must this summer.

Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers needs to look at experienced players as well as young stars, Mark Lawrenson says.

"Are they going to have to be young? Yes, the resale value of players is important," he said in the Liverpool Daily Post. "But they have to be able to improve the first team, it can't always be a long-term plan. It also has to be for the here and now.

"For the balance of the team, Liverpool need some more experienced heads coming in. That's what can help them improve, because realistically they've only gone up one place in the table this season and haven't reached the cup finals they did last year.

"Rodgers could do worse than bring in someone like a Gary McAllister when he came to Liverpool, a Gordon Strachan when he went to Leeds United or a Henrik Larsson when he was briefly at Manchester United."

The summer will certainly be an interesting one for Liverpool, with striker Andy Carroll set for an exit granted the club can get the right price for him, and the club on the lookout for a long term replacement for Carragher.

While the last summer brought disappointment on the transfer front, Rodgers achieved success in the winter window, with Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho having both proving to be successful purchases so far.

Manchester United FC