Michael Edwards may have determined that Liverpool needs to bring in three players to Old Trafford.

After taking a position as the football CEO at Fenway Sports Group, Michael Edwards has returned to Anfield.

When the full-time whistle blew in the Old Trafford directors’ box, Michael Edwards smiled resignedly. After watching an intense FA Cup quarterfinal match in which Liverpool emerged as the runners-up, he was exhausted. The Reds’ chances of winning a quadruple this season are finished after losing 4-3 to their fierce rivals, Manchester United.

Edwards has played football long enough to know that it is almost never possible to win four trophies in a single season. When you take into account Jurgen Klopp’s team’s continuous injury problems, it’s amazing that they are still tied for first place in the Premier League and won the Carabao Cup at Wembley.

However, Edwards won’t be able to influence anything until May. His official start date as the football CEO of Fenway Sports Group is June 1. Jurgen Klopp’s farewell tour mostly features the former Tottenham analyst, who was lured back to FSG following a renowned tenure as sporting director from 2016 to 2022, during which he won six major championships.

Though he may not be in his current position, plans are undoubtedly being made for the future. Edwards’ duties will extend beyond Liverpool, as FSG intends to broaden their range of interests. Richard Hughes, who is set to depart Bournemouth at the end of the current campaign, is anticipated to take over his former role as sporting director. Hughes will supervise recruitment going forward in conjunction with Klopp’s successor.

Edwards, though, is probably still involved. His influence will be felt after he established himself as one of the top recruiters in the business by landing players like Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, and Sadio Mane.

Additionally, he might have been identifying which places might benefit from reinforcements during the summer transfer window while he watched the action against United. Actually, he might have written down three.

Mo Salah scored his 21st goal of the season and his 13th goal overall against United. The star player for Liverpool has returned from injury just in time, having missed most of 2024 due to a hamstring injury sustained during the African Cup of Nations.

Salah wants to finish this semester with a barnstorming performance. There’s a good chance the Reds will win both the Premier League and the Europa League if he returns to the level he had before his setback.

However, supporters are well aware that Saudi Arabia might make another move in the summer. Liverpool shown their commitment at the end of the previous summer transfer season when they turned down a deal of up to £150 million from Al-Ittihad. For a player thirty-one years old, many clubs would have accepted this enormous offer without hesitation. Liverpool was adamant that the winger would not be going anywhere.

However, Salah will be one year older in the off-season and, more importantly, will only have 12 months left on his lucrative deal, which could pay up to £400,000 a week.

Liverpool might not be able to decline another sizable offer and run the danger of losing Salah for free. Furthermore, with Klopp leaving, the Egypt international might decide it’s time to wrap up his seven-year tenure.

One of the main responsibilities of Edwards’ prior role was future planning. Under his direction, future stars like Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott were cultivated. They really have become regulars now.

And Andy Robertson was very much brought in for the now and for the future when he signed a contract worth just £8 million with Hull City in the summer of 2017. The left-back had the best years of his career ahead of him when he arrived to Anfield at the age of 23. It took Robertson some time to get used to Klopp’s lineup, as Alberto Moreno was chosen at the beginning of the 2017–18 season. But starting in December, Robertson was the clear front-runner. He would go on to become one of the top players in his position globally.

Robertson missed the better part of four months due to a shoulder injury he sustained earlier this term while on international duty. He’s had to split playing time on the left side of defence with Joe Gomez ever since recovering from his injury.

Even though he was one of the better players at Old Trafford prior to being replaced in the 67th minute, Robertson is still striving to gain momentum.

At thirty years old, finding a long-term replacement might soon become a top priority. Because of his intense style, Robertson probably won’t be able to perform as well week in and week out as he once could. Although he signed a new contract earlier in the campaign, Kostas Tsimikas, who is currently the deputy, is nearly 28 years old and may have aspirations of becoming first choice somewhere.

Luke Chambers and Owen Beck of Liverpool are presently having exciting loan stints at Dundee and Wigan Athletic, respectively. Still, one more choice might be desired.

Furthermore, there isn’t much depth at the No. 6 spot right now. All of Wataru Endo’s early critics have been proven wrong. Now the team’s pivot, Endo is a summer acquisition from Stuttgart, and Klopp thinks the 31-year-old still has a lot of mileage left in him.

However, he will also need to be rotated. During the start of the season, Alexis Mac Allister played holding midfield, but his best play has come further up the pitch, where he excelled for Brighton and assisted Argentina in winning the World Cup.

Before an adductor injury hindered his progress in the 2022–2023 season, Stefan Bajcetic had a fantastic breakout campaign. This time around, however, he has only been able to make two appearances due to growing concerns. Prior to this, Liverpool had James Milner, Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho, who could all anchor the engine room and designate another body.

Naturally, a lot will rely on the kind of football Klopp’s replacement wishes to play. It is possible that an entirely new configuration will be used, in which case additional locations may need to be reinforced. Before he returns to his desk at Anfield, though, Edwards will undoubtedly be working to make sure Liverpool is best positioned to guarantee that they stay in the elite echelons of the Premier League and in Europe.