Liverpool's most underrated XI of all-time

Liverpool have had some incredible players down the years.

The likes of Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Mohamed Salah immediately spring to mind.

Those four players have helped the Reds pick up silverware and become club legends as a result.

While the best players may have made headlines for their role in winning trophies for the club, they were helped by numerous unsung stars.

As a result, the Liverpool Echo decided to ask Liverpool fans who the most underrated players in the club’s history were.

Who are the players that didn’t - and don’t - get enough credit while at Anfield?

Well, after listening to what the supporters had to say, the Echo compiled the most mentioned names into an XI.

Let’s take a look:

Goalkeeper: David James

David James earned the nickname ‘Calamity James’ whilst at Liverpool for his frequent errors.

But he did play almost 300 times for the club before forging out a pretty decent Premier League career.

Right-back: Steve Finnan

Steve Finnan would always produce a 7/10 performance at right-back for Liverpool. Reliable was his middle name during his five seasons at the club. He helped the Reds win the 2005 Champions League final - although it was he who was substituted at half-time with a thigh injury which was the catalyst for the comeback as Didi Hamman came on and Rafa Benitez changed formation.

He also started during the 2006 FA Cup success.

Centre-back: Gary Gillespie

Gary Gillespie was initially behind legendary centre-back duo Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen when he first arrived at Anfield. But he soon established a partnership with Hansen as he helped Liverpool romp to the 1987/88 league title, missing just three games all season. In total, Gillespie played more than 150 times in the league from 1983–1991, winning three titles and the 1983–84 European Cup.

Centre-back: Mark Wright

After spells at Oxford, Southampton and Derby, Liverpool signed Wright in the summer of 1991 for £2.2 million - a record fee for a defender in English football - as they looked to replace Hansen.

Wright remained at Anfield for seven years, playing more than 150 times in the league despite injury problems.

Left-back: Fabio Aurelio

Rafa Benitez snapped up Fabio Aurelio on a free transfer in 2006 and will be remembered fondly for his free-kick at Old Trafford during Liverpool’s 4-1 win against Manchester United in 2009. The Brazilian temporally left the club in 2010 before new manager Roy Hodgson resigned him.

In six seasons, the classy left-back played 87 times for the club.

Right-midfield: Danny Murphy

Talking of players scoring at Old Trafford…

After signing from Crewe in 1999 for £1.5 million, Danny Murphy became a Liverpool hero in the following five years.

Despite often playing out of position, the midfielder helped Liverpool win the ’Treble’ during the 2000/01 season, lifting the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup.

He was often the scourge of Manchester United, scoring the winner against Liverpool’s rivals at Old Trafford three times in four seasons.

In total, he played almost 250 times for the club before, perhaps prematurely, being sold to Charlton in 2004.

Centre-midfield: Ronnie Whelan

Imagine signing a player for £35,000, who would go on to play 493 games, scoring 73 goals, winning six league title titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups and a European Cup.

Well, that’s what Ronnie Whelan did between 1979 and 1994.

He wasn’t a John Barnes, a Peter Beardsley or a John Aldridge but he is a proper Liverpool legend.

Centre-midfield: Jordan Henderson

The current Champions League-winning captain still doesn’t get the respect he deserves - both from Liverpool fans and rival fans.

When Liverpool signed him for £20 million from Sunderland in 2011, Henderson was mocked for simply not being Steven Gerrard. But since inheriting the armband from Liverpool’s greatest ever player, he’s mastered his own captaincy style. A true leader on the pitch and *might* become the first Liverpool player to lift the Premier League trophy.

Left-midfield: Yossi Benayoun

A silky Israelian arrived on Merseyside for a fee of just £5 million from West Ham in 2007. He repaid Liverpool with three decent seasons, scoring 29 goals in 134 appearances. He popped up with some important goals during the 2008/09 campaign as Liverpool came close to the winning the Premier League.

Striker: Peter Crouch

Peter Crouch went 19 matches without scoring at the start of his Liverpool career but played an important role for Rafa Benitez’s side. He also played his role in the FA Cup win in 2006, as he nodded the ball down for Gerrard to make it 2-2 during the final against West Ham.

After three seasons at the club, he finished with a not too shabby 42 goals in 134 matches.

Striker: Emile Heskey

Liverpool broke a club record to spend £11 million on a 22-year-old Emile Heskey back in 2000. He may not have been the most prolific - scoring 60 goals in 223 appearances - but he was a major part of Liverpool’s Treble winning season. That successful 2001/01 campaign, Heskey scored 22 goals in all competitions.