Emile Heskey has backed Liverpool to win the Premier League as long as they can keep their starting lineup fit for the majority of the season.
The title race still looks wide open at this early stage of the season, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United and Man City all tipped as genuine challengers.
Heskey, who spent four years at Anfield from 2000 to 2004, has been impressed by his former side’s start, with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all in form.
But he is wary of the City’s quality and feels squad depth may have a key role to play in determining who will lift the Premier League trophy next May.
‘The key for Liverpool is can they keep their starting XI fit? If they keep their starting XI fit, this is a title-winning team,’ Heskey said on the Seaman Says podcast.
‘This is the fascinating thing with Manchester City. When you take players out of Man City, they still play the same way and I think it’s the only team in the league where you see that and they play the same way.
‘You bring [Riyad] Mahrez out, you can put [Phil] Foden out there. Bring Foden out, you can put Raheem [Sterling] out there. Bring out Raheem and you can put [Gabriel] Jesus out there and they still play exactly the same way. They still make exactly the same runs.
‘When you take Salah, Mane and Firmino out of the Liverpool team, it looks different and they have to adapt.
‘City are the only team that don’t adapt and they play exactly the same way. But again, if Liverpool keep the same starting XI, I think that’s a title-winning team.’
Asked which club will win the title, Heskey replied: ‘If Liverpool can keep their starting XI fit, I’ll say Liverpool.
‘It’s good! For years, you would just say it was between Arsenal and Manchester United.
‘But now you’ve got two, three or four teams – Chelsea you’ve got to throw in their if they start picking up a head of steam – and it makes it a lot better.’
Heskey added: ‘I think with the Wijnaldum one, they were probably looking at Curtis Jones.
‘They do want to give youth a chance so they will probably be looking at that and thinking he [Jones] has to step up to the plate.
‘You want to give these kids a chance but they have to take that opportunity and I think against Porto he showed he was more than capable of taking that opportunity.’
