I didn't think Liverpool could win Premier League - I made one mistake about Arne Slot

Slot

David Hancko has admitted that he was forced to eat his words by former head coach Arne Slot during his debut season at Liverpool.

The Dutchman guided the Reds to the summit of English football as they romped to the Premier League title.

However Hancko, who played under the 46-year-old at Feyenoord, has admitted that he made a mistake by not predicting his former manager could usurp Manchester City.

This season, many have claimed that Liverpool will go again and successfully defend their crown following the summer splurge that has saw big-money arrivals such as Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.

Liverpool are still in the market for a striker, despite the Frenchman's arrival, and remain in the middle of a saga surrounding wantaway Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.

Hancko has revealed that he was forced to swallow a bitter pill when he predicted against Slot, despite providing a positive claim about Liverpool during his first campaign in charge.

Hancko

"Last year I was a guest on a podcast, where I was brought in as a ‘Slot expert',"

"The guys wanted to talk to me about what to expect from him. The only mistake I made was not saying they could win the title.

"They asked whether he’d be able to manage, and there were a couple of experts worried if he could handle it, because Ten Hag had problems and Slot was coming from a smaller Dutch club than Ajax."

“They asked if Liverpool could finish top four, and I said definitely, I predicted second or third place," he continued.

"But I didn’t think they could win it, because I thought City would continue the dominance they’d shown over the previous four years.

"So I wasn’t surprised by Liverpool’s title and I think they’ll be even stronger this year."

Slot faced question marks coming into his first season in England after fellow countrymen Erik ten Hag and Louis van Gaal tried and failed at Manchester United.

Ten Hag was one of the managerial casualties last term with the Reds head coach getting one over on his fellow countryman when they easily dispatched the Red Devils 3-0 at Old Trafford.