'If he had played': Paul Merson says Liverpool would have defeated Manchester United if 27-year-old started

Paul Merson has now praised a Liverpool player who did not feature in last Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester United.

Jurgen Klopp watched his side drop two points in the Premier League title race after taking the Reds to Old Trafford without a few key players.

Liverpool are currently without Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip and Stefan Bajcetic, while the talented Ben Doak is also absent.

Now – when predicting the Premier League clash between Liverpool and Crystal Palace on Sunday – Paul Merson has made an interesting comment…

Paul Merson thinks Liverpool would have defeated Manchester United with Diogo Jota

Well, the Portugal international is now back in training after missing six Premier League games with a knee injury.

Liverpool have managed to stay afloat without Jota – winning four and drawing two of those six matches – although Merson has now claimed that one of those draws would have been a victory if Klopp was able to use his No.18 at Old Trafford.

The 56-year-old even admitted that he thinks the £41m man is more clinical than Mohamed Salah.

For Sports Keeda, Merson said: “One player whose return will be invaluable to the German manager is Diogo Jota. I think he’s Liverpool’s best finisher ahead of Mohamed Salah and if he had played, Klopp and co would have emerged victorious against Manchester United.”

Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images

We strongly agree.

Liverpool were tremendously wasteful at Old Trafford, taking 28 shots compared to just nine efforts from Manchester United, while also boasting 62% possession as WhoScored shows.

With Jota – a man who has scored 14 goals in just 28 appearances this season, averaging a goal every two games – the result surely would have turned out differently, as Merson states.

Decision time for Jurgen Klopp

Klopp now has a selection headache – right in the midst of a Premier League title race.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

Alisson, Alexander-Arnold and Jota are too important to be left out, although Caoimhin Kelleher has impressed in the Brazilian’s absence, as has Conor Bradley while deputising for the England international.

Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz – who could move to PSG this summer – have also done well lately, although one of them will have to make way for Jota, who is too efficient for Klopp to bench at this stage of the season.

Therefore, the 56-year-old might have to upset a few players, as we enter the business end to the 2023/24 campaign.

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