By support

20th Dec, 2016 | 7:47pm

John Aldridge: This Liverpool player has impressed me since pre-season

By Dominic Toner

John Aldridge has hailed Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan and claimed that he has impressed him since pre-season.

The 31-year-old completed a move to Anfield in the summer transfer window for £4.2million from German club Augsburg.

The centre-back has been fighting for a starting place with Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip this season.

He has featured in the last three games because of an injury to Matip and helped Liverpool achieve a narrow 1-0 victory against Merseyside rivals Everton on Monday night.

Ex-Liverpool striker Aldridge has heaped praise on Klavan and said that he is a great option to have in the squad.

“I thought Ragnar Klavan was excellent at Goodison – and he has been for the last two games,” Aldridge wrote in the Echo. “He impressed me in pre-season.

“It’s great for us because Joel Matip has been brilliant but he’s been injured and Klavan’s come in and he’s a real, no-nonsense 1980s type of defender, very, very good and he played brilliantly on Monday.”

Klavan has made just 10 appearances this campaign across all competitions and is regarded as the third-choice option in defence.

The Estonia international is beginning to settle at the club and has impressed supporters in his recent seasons.

He is a powerful no-nonsense defender and has proven to be physically demanding in aerial battles, something which is crucial in the Premier League.

Klavan is an experienced defender with spells at Augsburg and Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, but is enjoying his first season in English football.

Liverpool are hopeful of competing for the Premier League title this season and Klavan is set to be an important player for manager Jurgen Klopp during this course of the year.

In other Liverpool news, the club’s supporters are concerned about their attacker after his performance again Everton.