By: Kamusime Barnabas

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders believes it was vital for the development of the team that stars such as Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah stayed at the club.

In the past decade, Liverpool have sold forwards like Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling, to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, who then both felt the need to move up a level.

But after winning the Champions League last season, and the Premier League this year, Lijnders – Jurgen Klopp’s right hand man – believes Liverpool can keep hold of their best players as they are now firmly in the elite level of clubs.

‘That was a deliberate change of strategy,’ Lijnders said, as reported by The Mirror.

‘The difference between Europe’s elite and other big clubs is that the elite are able to keep their best players.

‘For a long time Liverpool belonged to the other category of selling players. Players always left because they could move to the elite, one more step up from where they were.

‘When we won the Champions League last season, we knew that was the moment to keep this squad together. If we succeed, then it will have more impact than the biggest transfer you can think of.’

The progression of young players in the team, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez, has also satisfied the Dutch coach.

‘Sometimes you are all chasing gold, but you get to a stage where you realise you are sitting on a pile of gold’ added Lijnders.

‘And, more than anything, I love adding youth to a team. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez have improved this team, too.

‘You can only bring such young gems into the first team when you have a steady and stable team so they can learn how to play at the top level.’