Liverpool do not have the same lofty expectations as many of their rivals.

Premier League victory is only just creeping into the horizon, although it is possible in your first season, and a season without the clutter of European fixtures gives a nice starting point to your campaign.

Mould the squad how you see fit, with qualifying for the Champions League a must to keep your star players. Talent in attacking positions could dictate how you set your team up, but it should not rule out further forward additions.

Balance in the Liverpool squad is non-existent. Defensive woes of late are reflected in the ratings of their defenders on Football Manager and you must address this issue as soon as possible if you are to have any significant success.

With that in mind, young defenders could be the way forward. If you are willing to take the time to nurture them they could be a viable answer at the back.

The rest of the team should not be forgotten, though, as you look to build a youthful second string…

Mauricio Lemos

Mauricio Lemos could be the defensive answer that Liverpool have been looking for. Joel Matip is a must-start at the heart of your defence, it is his partner that is in doubt.

Lemos, even from the start of your save, has the stats to play as a ball-playing defender. Liverpool are not equipped with the squad to play a more direct game, making it almost a necessity to pass through the centre-backs.

First season as a squad player or second as an integral member of the team, he is simply a must sign.

Jorge

Left-back has been a long-running problem for Liverpool. Everyone seems to have had a crack at playing there in real life, with some frankly calamitous performances.

James Milner is the incumbent, but that just won’t suffice on Football Manager. You need to find a replacement for Milner – assuming you aren’t going to trust Alberto Moreno – and Jorge should be one of the players under consideration.

Reece Oxford

West Ham will be reluctant to let Reece Oxford go considering his absurdly high potential, but that should not put you off flirting with him and his agent.

Lemos might be more Premier League ready, but Oxford will, given time, become a wonderful centre-back. Avoiding over working him as a youngster while keeping his minutes high is the main challenge, should you do that perfectly you will have an excellent defensive midfielder and a near world class centre-back.

Manuel Locatelli

Like so many wonderkids, Locatelli will be very pricey. His current ability is a bit underwhelming for such a fee, so it could be worth building an instalment-based deal to lure AC Milan into a sale.

Should you secure Locatelli, loans are the way forward. Shift him out to clubs where he will get plenty of minutes in a key role and watch him blossom.

Johannes Eggestein

The shoots of a world class talent are already present for Eggestein. He, like Locatelli, will need an eyewatering transfer fee to be signed, though.

Strength and stamina ratings are worryingly low, too, which could understandably put a few Liverpool managers off signing him.

His numbers at 18 show just how good he can become, Eggestein might be the man to lead the line for your Liverpool team into the future and will certainly be a good squad option by 2018/19.