Peter Crouch has joined the growing consensus that Liverpool are in danger of leaving themselves short in midfield following the "unreal" transfer of Curtis Jones to Inter Milan.
Jones ended a 16-year association with the Reds when, after 228 senior appearances, he agreed a move to the Serie A side in a deal that could ultimately be worth £30million.
No new midfielder planned
Liverpool are understood not to be pursuing a new central midfielder, with opportunities instead expected to be handed this season to teenager Trey Nyoni, who has yet to make a Premier League start.
Problems in the midfield contributed to the 2-2 draw in the campaign opener at Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon, with Anfield legend Jamie Carragher among many calling for reinforcements in the engine room.
Crouch backs Nyoni but wants depth
While backing more minutes for Nyoni, ex-Liverpool striker Crouch is in agreement with his former team-mate over the need for a new signing.
"I'm really interested to see the emergence of Trey Nyoni, he looks a really good player," he said. "A young lad who performed well in pre-season and I hope to see more of him this season.
"For me Liverpool are still a little bit short in that central midfield area.
"When you think of that 'golden era' under Klopp, you had (Adam) Lallana, (Jordan) Henderson, Fabinho, (Gini) Wijnaldum. That's an incredible set of midfielders.
"They've got some incredible quality in there right now, but I'm not sure there's enough depth. One more central midfielder would be handy."
Jones backed to flourish at Inter
Crouch has backed Jones to flourish at Inter and believes that the midfielder coming through the Academy as a homegrown player meant his contribution wasn't fully appreciated.
Speaking exclusively to Paddy Power, Crouch said: "It's a great move. An unreal move.
"Sometimes when you come through the Academy at a club, you can be undervalued a little bit as you don't necessarily play for the money. It's more of a 'privilege' to play for your club.
"I know there was the incident in pre-season around the captain's armband but that aside, it's probably the right time in his career to move on. It's a fresh start, a different culture and I think he'll flourish (in Milan)."
