Wayne Rooney has admitted it "pains" him to concede that Liverpool currently possess the "best attacking unit in world football".
The ex-Man Utd striker formed part of the Red Devils' own deadly trio in attack in years gone by, alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.
He later partnered Robin van Persie in another title-winning campaign, but Liverpool have since overtaken their long-time rivals.
The Reds' fearsome front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have spearheaded Liverpool's title charge this season, and Rooney believes they are the best in the business at the present time.
Speaking in his column for The Times, Rooney described how he did not consider himself a "goalscorer" despite ranking second in the Premier League's all-time scoring charts.
He suggested he was more of a creator, and claimed he got more enjoyment from setting up goals for teammates like van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy than he did scoring himself.
Discussing Liverpool's attackers, Rooney said: "I’ve been trying to explain how scoring is often down to players working together and the Liverpool front three are the perfect example.
"Salah and Sadio Mané provide the depth by pushing teams back which allows Firmino to come deep for the ball, the opposition centre backs relax and suddenly the other two make diagonal runs at incredible pace to attack the space.
"It reminds me of how Roma used to play with [Francesco] Totti as No.10 and two quick runners attacking the box from wide. It pains me to admit it, but Liverpool are the best attacking unit in world football at the moment."
Between them, Salah, Mane and Firmino have netted 49 goals in all competitions this season, and a combined 26 assists.
Brazilian Firmino trails behind his strike partners in the scoring stakes, but edges slightly ahead on goals created.
Rooney's former England teammate and ex-Liverpool forward Emile Heskey recently had his say on the strikeforce, and hailed Firmino as the most important member.
"I just think everything gels properly when he's playing," Heskey told 90min. "He's not necessarily worried about 'this is my job and I need to do this'.
“You see him chasing back and tackling, you see him playing left wing and chase the guy up and down the wing. Then you'll see him up front, getting the ball and holding it up and bringing someone in. It's just a different variety of stuff that he does, he's not just focused on 'I must score goals'."
