Pep Guardiola would probably pick Fernandinho, while Antonio Conte and Claudio Ranieri may plump for N’Golo Kanté.

Ask all the recent Premier League title-winning managers to pinpoint a player integral to their side’s success and they would all reel off a key midfielder.

The list goes on: Nemanja Matic for José Mourinho in his second spell at Chelsea, Yaya Touré for Manuel Pellegrini and Michael Carrick for Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

Pose the same question to Jürgen Klopp and he is likely to reply with not just one name, but five. Liverpool’s title challenge is being driven by a midfield without a clearly defined pecking order despite the captain, and two new signings costing more than £90 million combined, being among Klopp’s options.

Jordan