Jurgen Klopp famously once said that "no playmaker in the world can be as good as a good counter-pressing situation.

Pressing has gone hand in hand with the German manager ever since he took over at German club Mainz with an evolution of how he likes his team to play at both Borussia Dortmund and now Liverpool.

While the quality of his sides has grown exponentially throughout his managerial career, Klopps teams have always delivered on the promise of intense pressing from the front.

Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have done so to great avail in recent seasons and the latters place inside the top 20 of successful pressures across Europes top five leagues in 2019/20 showcases that.

According to Statsbomb data, via FBRef, the Brazilian ranks 20th for successful pressures with a total of 209 this season. The metric measures how many times a player regains possession within five seconds of applying pressure to the opposition. This is for a side who are the fifth most successful in Europe's top five leagues in terms of percentage, as well as the best in the Premier League.

While the complexion of Klopps squad could change in terms of creativity over the coming seasons, there will always be the desire to press. Firmino is now 28 and, although there is no sign of his influence waning, any attempt to replicate that sort of quality in the future will rely upon finding those who are adept at the pressing game. That might come in the mould of a striker, or further back.

To examine efficient pressers that Liverpool could be looking at in the coming years, we run the rule over three of the best across Europes top five leagues.

Wout Weghorst (Wolfsburg)

The Wolfsburg striker leads the line for the Bundesliga side, who are one of the few clubs more successful at pressing than Liverpool across Europe.

He ranks as 15th highest for successful pressures this season with a total of 213 which is mightily impressive when you consider other players higher than him on the list tend to include midfielders.

Only a handful of strikers rank higher than Weghorst in terms of successful pressures which shows how effective he is at winning the ball back in key attacking areas. The 26-year-old ranks top in terms of pressure applied in the final third with 403 in total and he could be an interesting option for Liverpool.

What those statistics dont outline is the fact that Weghorst is a sizable figure at 6ft6 and may be viewed as an alternative option for Liverpool off the bench.

Divock Origi is currently the tallest player in the Reds attack but he isnt necessarily an aerial presence and a combination of Weghorsts pressing capabilities and extra height would be a fascinating proposition. He is 27, which works against him, but this is only his eighth campaign of senior football due to breaking through later.

Danny Ings (Southampton)

Ings goal-scoring record this season has led to some Liverpool fans opening up the question of whether or not he could be set for a return to Anfield.

However, past his impressive goal return, the 27-year-old presents an interesting option from a pressing point of view too.

Ralph Hasnehuttls intense pressing system on the south coast has seen them undertake a remarkable turnaround this season and it wouldnt be unrealistic to say that Ings ticks a number of boxes. The likelihood of him returning to Anfield remains minimal, but the fact he ranks 13th for successful pressures this season - no centre forward ranks higher than Ings.

Like Weghorst, he is 27, but has missed several years of his career due to unfortunate injuries sustained at Liverpool. He is now over those and is among the Premier League's best strikers, and though a reunion is unlikely, Liverpool will watch his continual development at St Mary's with interest - and potentially a hint of regret.

Konrad Laimer (RB Leipzig)

One flaw in looking directly at pressing statistics right at the top of the rankings is that defenders or players in less possession-based sides tend to show up more.

However, RB Leipzigs intricate system means that Laimer is able to utilise his pressing qualities on a consistent basis. The 23-year-old ranks 2nd with 276 successful pressures this season - or 11.7 per 90 minutes - and shows the adept nature of Laimer winning possession back.

As a box-to-box midfielder, the Austrian often applies pressure in key areas from midfield and being able to do so in Klopps midfield is a key responsibility. While his technical attributes may not be at the level of Georginio Wijnaldum or Jordan Henderson, continued development for Laimer may see him become a future Klopp recruit.

Liverpool's relationship with the Bundesliga club needs little explanation, likewise with the Red Bull football group in general. Moving from RB Salzburg to Leipzig in 2017, he followed the same path as Naby Keita, and even played alongside the Guinean in Germany. A right back then - another positive, given how Klopp likes versatility - he has now essentially moved into the middle as Keita's replacement.

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Liverpool will soon have another pressing need, and Naby Keita's replacement heads possible recruits - Liverpool.com