Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Manchester United Liverpool 2019-20Getty

Liverpool legend warns Man Utd ‘will be back’ & Chelsea will threaten Reds’ bid for dominance

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has warned that the Reds should not expect to enjoy an era of dominance in English football, with Manchester United “guaranteed” to come back into contention while Chelsea will “get better” and Manchester City appear set to stick around “for a long time”.

Those at Anfield are looking to chase down a first top-flight title in 30 years, with an eight-point lead opened up at the Premier League summit.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are already the kings of Europe, having savoured Champions League glory last season, and are now on course to conquer the domestic game.

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With the core of their squad at an age where long-term success could be enjoyed, many are tipping Liverpool to become major players over a prolonged period of time.

Former Reds player and manager Souness would like that to be the case, but the Scot concedes that things are rarely that easy.

He has told The Mirror: “You can never say they will go into a period of dominance because you have to look at Manchester City – they will be around for a long time.

“There’s the emergence of Chelsea ’s youngsters too. Will they get better in the next few years?

“And Manchester United will be back, guaranteed. It’s just a case of when.

“So you can’t say Liverpool are going to dominate.

“But once you’ve won the first one, it does give you a taste to win it again. When I was there I was made to feel, ‘This is what we do – win leagues’.

“That was the No.1 aim on the first day of the season, the league, not the European Cup. They felt that said more about you as an individual and a team.”

While eager to manage expectations on Merseyside, Souness admits that the belief re-established at Anfield is similar to that enjoyed by Liverpool when he was helping them to a memorable haul of major honours.

The ex-midfielder added: “There’s an excitement around the place and an atmosphere in the ground that wasn’t there when I was there.

“Maybe I was so absorbed in playing football that I blanked all that out, but when I go there now, it’s spine-tingling.”

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