According to former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman, Red Bull Leipzig forward Timo Werner may not be ready for the “step-up” at Jurgen Klopp’s squad insisting that the German would be more of a squad player rather than a starter.
There has been plenty of speculation regarding a move to the Premier League for the prolific Werner following his impressive displays for Leipzig earlier this season. A number of top suitors including Liverpool have been keeping tabs on Timo Werner as the Leipzig star has netted 21 times in the Bundesliga this season, only three goals behind top scorer Robert Lewandowski.
The Merseyside giants are suggested to have positioned themselves towards the frontline in the race for signing Werner but there are still a number of doubts as to where the 24-year-old striker would fit in at Liverpool.
Liverpool’s front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have delivered from time to time for the Premier League giants, whenever called upon and clearly nailed down starting berths in the attacking trident. Therefore, there are questions raised upon where would Werner fit if the young goalscorer ever does decide to make the move to Anfield.
13 – Most goal involvements in Europe's top five leagues this season directly following ball carries (travelling 5+ metres with the ball):
13 | Timo Werner
10 | Jadon Sancho
9 | Riyad Mahrez
9 | Sadio Mané
9 | Lionel Messi
9 | Kylian MbappéImmediacy. pic.twitter.com/1MameccWZl
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 18, 2020
A role as on the bench would seem to be the most likely option for Werner with his football game time to be restricted and Steve McManaman has explained why the German might not be ready for a step forward to Liverpool just yet. While speaking to BT Sport the 48-year-old stated that Werner might be good for the Bundesliga but the Premier League is more demanding, “There are people like Werner who has been linked with a move to the Premier League and Liverpool, but I do not know if he is ready for that step up yet. He’s young, he’s quick, he’s got an eye for goal, he has played for his country.”
McManaman further added that Werner might not be able to live up to the Liverpool hype just yet but is certainly one for the future,“It would be great if Liverpool could acquire him just to strengthen the squad, he is only going to get better. Has he got the quality to usurp the front three? Probably not yet. But he is certainly one for the future.”
