Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United assistant tells Liverpool to sign two more Dutch players

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The former Fulham manager and Manchester United first-team coach has chimed in on what Liverpool need ahead of next seasonRene Meulensteen, the assistant coach of the Iraqi national team who once assisted Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, has identified two more Dutch Premier League players who he believes could make the difference at Liverpool.Meulensteen recently gave his backing to under-fire fellow Dutch manager Arne Slot, who won the Premier League in his first season in charge but has seen his authority dwindle over the course of a season in which Liverpool have lost 19 games and supporters and senior players - most notably Mohamed Salah - have questioned the direction of travel both tactically and in terms of the standards befitting the club.During his tenure, which will hit the two-year mark this summer, Slot has signed Dutch wing-back Jeremie Frimpong and made fellow Dutchmen Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch central to his plans, while Liverpool and Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk signed a two-year contract extension last summer.And if Meulensteen's advice is heeded, the Reds' Dutch contingent would grow further this summer.READ MORE: 'Mohamed Salah's Liverpool statement was madness and lacked class, Reds legends wouldn't do it'READ MORE: Liverpool 'have to be careful' with Arne Slot as Alexander Isak issue addressedSpeaking to Boyle Sports, who offer the latest World Cup odds, Meulensteen pondered whether Roma's on-loan Aston Villa striker Donyell Malen could cut it as a potential replacement for Salah."Arne Slot knows a lot about [Malen]," he said, "and he is bang in form. Italy is a different kind of competition, and he's done really well there, by the way."He's done really well because managers are obviously there to find the qualities that he needed for their team, and he's used them to his strength."He is quick, he's direct, and like I said, he can basically play in every position up front.

I'm not saying that Malen couldn't, because I'm sure that Slot would know a lot about him as he's from Holland."Slot would definitely have him on the radar in that respect. But I think sometimes players move to a league and it suits them better than playing in the Premier League, and he's possibly one of them."While it wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, other English clubs - maybe even Villa - will no doubt be wondering whether Malen could make more of an impact the second time around in the Premier League, having banged in 13 goals in just 17 Serie A games since joining the side from the Italian capital in January.Meulensteen was more enthusiastic about the suitability of two of his other compatriots, both of whom ply their trade at the opposite end of the pitch from Malen.He asked: "Jan Paul van Hecke at Liverpool?

Senne Lammens has come in and he's done good in his own right, definitely. Van Hecke, what he's done and the things that he's performed, he would warrant a move to both Man Utd and Liverpool."A report from Dutch football site Voetbal International earlier this month claimed Liverpool had enquired about Van Hecke's availability amidst the continued uncertainty over the future of Ibrahima Konate, with the Brighton defender having previously been the subject of advances from Arne Slot while at Feyenoord.Spurs centre-back Van de Ven, meanwhile, was aggressively linked with the Reds back in January, and a move could become significantly more feasible should the north London side end up relegated after a shocking season.Spurs have improved under the guidance of former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, however, and would confirm their survival if they are able to beat Chelsea tomorrow night (May 19).For now, these are just the thoughts of a manager who knows Slot well and is clearly enthusiastic about his nation's Premier League representatives but, if Konate leaves, Liverpool may well move for a more experienced defender this summer having already wrapped up the signing of 20-year-old Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!