Manchester United legend Roy Keane has warned Liverpool that they need to win titles consistently over the next few years to be considered one of the great teams.
Liverpool will win their first Premier League crown in the coming weeks, with Jurgen Klopp’s men 23 points ahead of the chasing pack after their goalless draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday evening. They need just five points from their next eight games to guarantee a first-placed finish.
But while giving credit to Klopp’s team, Keane, who won the Premier League seven times with United, said that Liverpool need to maintain their good form over a number of years in order to be in the same bracket as some previous United teams.
“I’m certainly not anti-Liverpool. When I was growing up in the ’80s, Liverpool were obviously a brilliant team and I had a lot of respect for players like Ronnie Whelan and Ray Houghton. I take my hat off to [that] Liverpool. They were a very, very good team. They were constantly winning League titles,” Keane told the Irish Independent.
“People will always connect me with United, but I would never begrudge a team winning the league. They deserve it. They have been outstanding over the last couple of seasons. The sign of any good team is to be consistent, and that’s what they’ve been.
“I think the industry is quick to hand out credit. It’s about what Liverpool do after winning it. Teams have had good seasons and faded away.
“So, to win the title is amazing, a fantastic achievement, but the important thing for any big club is to kick on. How many titles can they win over the next five, ten years? That’s how I judge the really good teams.
“It’s the same with players. I’ve seen players have one or two good seasons and they get a bit giddy, a bit excited. And before you know it, you don’t hear of them any more.”
