Former Liverpool winger Patrick Berger has dismissed the club's chances of mounting a Premier League title challenge next season.

The Reds are in a summer of transition following the managerial appointment of Brendan Rodgers, who has succeeded Kenny Dalglish.

However, Berger believes that the current squad at Rodgers's disposal make it impossible for the five-time European champions to be considered a realistic title contender.

"They are far away from challenging, nowhere near in my opinion," Berger told Sky Sports News. "Hopefully I'll be wrong and they'll push the top teams for the Premier League title but I can't see it happening any time soon.

"A couple of years back they had [Fernando] Torres up front, then players like Peter Crouch and Robbie Keane in reserve, Craig Bellamy too.

"They used to have a big squad with quality players. Now they just have a big squad. These days when I see who is the on bench for Liverpool, I don't know who some of these guys are. It has to be different."

Berger spent seven years at Anfield up until 2003.