Liverpool squad needs an overhaul in the summer, John Aldridge says

Liverpool need to bring in "a number of fresh faces" in the summer transfer window so that manager Jurgen Klopp has more options to choose from, according to former Reds striker John Aldridge.

Substitutes Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino both scored to help Liverpool come from behind to beat Stoke City 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium on 8 April, keeping the Merseyside club on track for Champions League qualification.

Writing in his Liverpool Echo column, Aldridge noted that the arrivals of Coutinho, Firmino and Daniel Sturridge changed the complexion of the game at the Britannia and called for players of a similar calibre to be brought in during the summer to take the club to the next level.

He added that the Reds needed a bigger squad to compete on multiple fronts should they secure Champions League football for next season.

"Seeing those three come on, it makes you realise how much stronger we need this squad to be," Aldridge wrote.

"We've been so unlucky with circumstances – don't forget we lost Danny Ings, Joe Gomez and Mamadou Sakho early on – so once the injuries to the likes of Coutinho, [Adam] Lallana, Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson and others have followed, we've looked so short.

"That's a lot of players to be without for some parts of the season. It's great if you have all of them, but unfortunately we haven't had that luxury," he went on.

"Hopefully we get in the Champions League because there's a number of fresh faces we need. A bit of an overhaul might be in order to be honest, because we just saw how Klopp can turn games around when he has the options available."

Liverpool are third in the Premier League table, 12 points behind leaders Chelsea having played a game more.

The Reds' next assignment sees them taking on West Brom at the Hawthorns on 16 April.