Ragnar Klavan says “it won’t be easy” to defend against Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah

Liverpool’s Estonian centre-back says he’ll be ready when called upon by Jurgen Klopp this season and has highlighted the Reds’ attacking threat.

Third-choice for much of last season, Klavan still featured 25 times for the Reds in his debut campaign, as injuries took their toll.

Klavan was one of Klopp’s new signings after arriving from Augsburg, and despite being unsure as to how often his manager will rotate his side next term, says he’ll be prepared to step in whenever required.

“As long as you are part of the group then for everybody the chance is there,” Klavan told the Liverpool Echo.

“It’s hard to say how the season will pan out but there will be more games this season with Europe compared to last season.

“I don’t know how the manager will solve that problem. But when he needs me, I’ll be there.”

Klavan also paid tribute to the returned-from-injury Joe Gomez, and hailed attacking team-mates Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, suggesting teams will struggle to contain the dual threat from wide for Liverpool.

“It won’t be easy for anyone to defend against Sadio and Mo. They are really good players with the pace they have.

“They aren’t the biggest but Sadio can jump really high. They are a threat in so many ways. Their speed when they get in behind and it’s one against one is going to be important.

“With the football we play, most of the time we are the attacking side. You want to bring more energy and focus on the attacking side.

“When it suddenly changes then maybe we aren’t quick enough in our heads to make that change and protect our goal. That’s one of the points we are working on to make that change a bit quicker.

“Being a defender in this team is different for sure. You are involved in every aspect of the game. You always have to be in the game so it’s a big change.”

In surprising news, Klavan also named the toughest forward he faced in his first campaign in England—and opted for Stoke City‘s Peter Crouch.

The giant English forward, a former Red himself, was described as a “positive surprise” by Klavan.