Not for the first time, Gary Neville was getting it slightly wrong about matters Liverpool.
After the Reds had scrapped their way to a hard-earned but deserved Premier League victory over Brentford on Saturday, the former Manchester United defender turned his attention to Anfield in a flurry of tweets, among which was a critique of the current personnel at Jurgen Klopp's disposal.
"Klopp needs to rebuild an ageing squad but no CL is a lot of money lost and they don’t just need 1 or 2!" exclaimed Neville, prodding somewhat deliberately at the Liverpool fanbase.
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It has been obvious for much of the season the Reds require a refresh in certain parts of their squad, most notably midfield where two or possibly three senior signings will be made, Alexis Mac Allister of Brighton and Chelsea's Mason Mount both high up Liverpool's list of targets for the summer.
But Neville isn't quite right in suggesting a more significant rebuild is required. After all, the transformation of Liverpool's squad has now been ongoing for several transfer windows, the fruits of which are now beginning to be seen in the Reds' starting line-up.
Against Brentford, five of the 11 starters - Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez - were aged 24 or under, with the team that took to the field having an average age of almost exactly 27 years old.
It continued a trend throughout the season that has seen the average age of the XI being driven down thanks to the inclusion of new signings and the return to fitness of several more established younger players.
Liverpool's starting line-up against Manchester City in the Community Shield last July was their oldest since 1953, while the following week's Premier League opener at Fulham saw them field six players over the age of 30 for the first time in more than 28 years.
But when the reverse game against the Cottagers took place last Wednesday, the average age of the XI had been slashed by almost two years - despite there being almost nine months between the games and seven players starting both.
While the Reds' youngest Premier League team this season actually came way back in September at Everton - when Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho started in midfield - that was the exception to a norm in the first half of the campaign that led to the oldest team of the term, at Aston Villa on Boxing Day, that was approaching 30 years old on average.
Liverpool, though, have long been aware of the issue of advancing years in the squad, as well as workload in terms of number of games of several players. It's why since winning the Champions League in 2019, of their major new signings only Thiago Alcantara has been over the age of 24 when bought.
The issue this season has been the unavailability of several such players for significant periods, such as Luis Diaz and Konate, along with homegrown talent like Jones. Their respective returns in recent months have contributed new energy to each area of the team, including a midfield that had temporarily been bolstered by teenager Stefan Bajcetic before his season-ending injury in March.
Konate, who only turns 24 later this month, has made a significant difference to the defence in starting all bar one of the recent six-match winning run at centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk. And his more experienced partner believes Liverpool are only scratching the surface of what the France international can offer.
"He can be so much better than what he is already," says Van Dijk. "He is still learning and is so young, but he is outstanding. He is so strong, so fast, he has everything for a modern-day centre-half. If I can give him one or two tips now and then and make him even more better, I'm more than happy to.
"He wants to learn, is eager to learn, is good to have around the dressing room, and at the moment is already playing at such a high level. But as a centre-half, experience is also a big thing and how to deal with certain situations, difficult moments, mistakes that happen now and then. I think he is doing very well, and how to manage himself as well is very important too physically. He is making big steps and I'm very, very glad to be part of it."
With at least four midfielders leaving in the coming weeks, Liverpool know an overhaul of the engine room is imminent. But the transformation from an ageing side to a more vibrant squad mixed with youth and experience has long since been underway - even if Neville hasn't noticed.
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