Phil Neville: Liverpool would have 'fantastic chance' of winning title if they had signed Joe Hart

Former Manchester United and Everton star Phil Neville has criticised Loris Karius and says Liverpool would have a "fantastic chance" of winning the title if they had signed Joe Hart. The German goalkeeper arrived at Anfield from Bundesliga outfit Mainz before the start of the season and has started in 10 leagues games for the Reds.

Hart has been the first choice keeper for City and England over the years and that changed when Pep Guardiola arrived at the Etihad. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager did not prefer the 29-year-old and allowed him to join Serie A outfit Torino on a season-long loan deal.

Karius has struggled in their first season in the Premier League and was criticised for his display in Liverpool's 4-3 defeat to AFC Bournemouth. He was also at the receiving end for his show in the Reds' 2-2 draw against West Ham United at Anfield on 11 December.

The latest draw has left Liverpool sit third in the league table with 31 points after 15 games, six points behind leaders Chelsea. Neville claims Liverpool are still short of a quality goalkeeper and central defenders to win the title.

"I look back at the start of the season when Joe Hart went to Torino and I thought, 'If Liverpool sign Joe Hart then they probably have a fantastic chance of winning the Premier League'. To win the Premier League you need a good goalkeeper, you need two good centre backs," Neville told BBC MOTD's Facebook page.

"Unfortunately I don't think Liverpool have either. I don't want to criticise goalkeepers for making mistakes because everybody makes mistakes, but in terms of the quality I've seen already, I'm not so sure that the performances back up what I'm seeing on the pitch."

Klopp has Karius and Simon Mignolet as the two first choice keepers at Liverpool. However, Neville says both the stoppers possess similar qualities, despite the former Sunderland man being forced to settle for a place on the bench.

"I don't think there's much to choose between Karius or Mignolet. I think they're both pretty equal in terms of the qualities that they have, so it's a real tough decision," he added.