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Jason McAteer has told Liverpool fans not to expect any big-name signings this summer as Jurgen Klopp steps up his Anfield evolution.

The Reds boss continued his squad rebuilding on Monday with confirmation Schalke’s Cameroon international centre-back Joel Matip will arrive in the summer on a free transfer.

Matip will be joined by 19-year-old Serbia midfielder Marko Grujic who will move from Red Star Belgrade at the end of the season.

Since replacing Brendan Rodgers in October, Klopp has been continually linked with moves for several star players including Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski.

But former Liverpool wing-back McAteer believes the German’s track record suggests he is more concerned with attracting the right players for his methods, regardless of profile.

“It took him three years to get Dortmund where they were,” said McAteer. “He didn’t have a great budget there but he knew exactly the players that could fit his philosophy, and I don’t think he’s in the market for the big names, he’s looking for players who can do what he wants.

“He will gradually turn it around, if it’s in 18 months’ time, then so be it. A lot of the fans – 99 per cent of them – are behind him, he’s lost a few because of what’s going on at the minute, but it’s a process that was always going to happen.

“It’s another man’s squad, he wasn’t brought in to instantly win the Premier League, he’s there for the long haul.

“Plus, I love the manager’s charisma and enthusiasm. And there is a ruthless streak to him, too.”

That ruthless streak is likely to manifest itself in the summer when Klopp begins the process of moving on members of the current squad.

And while the Reds are revelling in a 6-0 win at Aston Villa, McAteer says the German will have learned more from the defeats of his fledgling reign.

“Jurgen’s a clever man and while there were big expectations when he first came in, the fact is he inherited another man’s squad, and it was always going to be a learning process for him,” he said, speaking to the Irish Post.

“It’s not a season to be written off, but he’ll learn a lot about his squad, who he can rely on, who he wants for next season, players he’s identified, who can play the way he wants them to.

“He’s looking at the mental toughness of the players when it’s not going well because we all know he’ll learn more in adversity than when it’s going well.

“You see something when you’re beating Chelsea or City, but you see a lot more when you’re beaten by Watford and West Ham away.

“You see the players who roll their sleeves up, put a shift in. And I’ve got to say there’s probably a few players who aren’t adding up to his expectations.”