Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has called on the Reds to continue their pursuit of Dayot Upamecano despite his "off day" against Manchester United.
The Premier League champions have been linked with a swoop for RB Leipzig centre-back Upamecano when his £36.5million release clause kicks in next summer.
The 22-year-old is considered one of the most promising talents in Europe - but he struggled at the heart of defence as Leipzig were thrashed 5-0 by Manchester United on Wednesday.
While Upamecano's poor display in the Champions League tie may put off his array of suitors, Thompson believes Liverpool should keep faith in the young Frenchman.
"I’ve seen he’s (Upamecano's) been linked with Liverpool as well as Man United now, and of course, after their result, you’d be wondering whether it’s the right call," the Liverpool legend told Paddy Power News .
"Though on saying that, you could say the same thing about Virgil van Dijk if you had only ever seen him play in that game against Aston Villa.
Does Upamecano have what it takes to make the grade in the Premier League? Have your say here.
"You have your off days – everyone does. RB Leipzig have had a fantastic start to their season, they didn’t look like that in the second half at Old Trafford, United were all over them.
"Upamecano was all over the place, but so was the entire team.
"But don’t be fooled. He’s a very good defender, and there’ll be a lot of people looking at him because he is making a lot of waves.
"There’s not a lot of quality centre-backs available in Europe at the moment, and I know Rio Ferdinand wasn’t happy with his performance… But I think I remember Rio having one or two bad games himself! One or two shockers, it happens to everybody.
"He’s had a couple of shockers as a pundit, too, we’ve all seen the ‘give it to Ole!’ rant a million times."
Phil Thompson was speaking exclusively to Paddy Power News. To read more, visit news.paddypower.com.
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