Former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman has questioned whether Todd Cantwell is good enough to play for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The Athletic recently reported that Liverpool are interested in the £30m-rated left-winger ahead of the summer, but McManaman says it would surprise him if the Reds were keen.
McManaman claims that Cantwell has not done enough to seal a move to a club as good as Liverpool, despite his performances for Norwich this season.
Speaking to HorseRacing.net, McManaman said:
In the future possibly, but I don’t think he’s done enough yet to warrant playing at that level.
I get the fact that he wants to play at a higher level. I get the fact that he thinks he’s playing well in a struggling Norwich team. That’s completely understandable.
It would surprise me if Liverpool were very interested in him, considering the younger kids Liverpool have in and around the squad at that under-23 level.
Again, we will wait and see. I can only take on face value what I’ve seen of Todd Cantwell and he’s done well in various games.
Norwich has a lot of really good young players and have done for a number of years so you have to trust what they’re doing down at Carrow Road.
READ NORWICH VERDICT
As of right now, McManaman has a valid case. Liverpool play a 4-3-3 and operate with two wingers, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, which means that Cantwell could need to fit into one of those two positions.
Assuming this is the case, Cantwell has little chance of getting in over either on current form – with both players having at least double as many goals and assists as Cantwell. Mane has 12 goals and six assists, whilst Salah is on 14 goals and six assists – compared to Cantwell’s six goals and two assists.
This suggests that McManamum could be right in saying that Cantwell has not shown enough to earn a transfer to Liverpool. Although, you could say that Liverpool could be signing the Norwich star for his potential, given that he is only 21 and is currently playing in his first-ever top-flight campaign.
Cantwell could potetntially join Liverpool as a rotation player and develop over time, rather than making an instant impact at Anfield.
There are still 12 Premier League games left of the season and it will be interesting to see how Cantwell performs between now and the summer.
If he can add some more goals and assists to his name, it could change people’s minds over whether or not he deserves a move.
