Jurgen Klopp insisted Liverpool will invest in quality players as they prepare for European football next season, while he said there is no alternative to winning trophies at Anfield.

Liverpool have been ravaged by injuries in the Premier League this season, with stars Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana, Jordon Henderson and Joel Matip all spending time on the sidelines.

Klopp has lamented the number of injuries in 2016-17. The German manager knows Liverpool must be active in the transfer market as they juggle the addition of another tournament – the Merseyside club currently occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualifying berth heading into the final game of the season.

‘We need to be strong because around us we’ll have a lot of quality and they will be stronger, so we will be strong – one hundred per cent,’ Klopp told Omnisport.

‘Yes, different options, we have another tournament to play. So that’s clear, we know about everything and still then, you need to be kind of lucky with injuries.

‘Because the injuries we had this year were not injuries from training, but in the games it was knocks and ankle and ligament and really, things you have no influence on. It happened in the challenge, we didn’t do it on the training ground and problems here and problems there.

‘So these significant injuries they were all from the pitch, they were all from the game. So can you say, can you sort this problem? One hundred percent, no. But again we learnt a lot and we will bring in quality.’

Liverpool are yet to cement a top-four place as the race for the Champions League goes down to the wire.

Klopp’s men are fourth, two points adrift of third-placed Manchester City, but only a point clear of Arsenal, who sit in the Europa League position.

While Klopp is happy to finish in the top four, nothing compares to claiming silverware – the club’s most recent title coming via the EFL Cup in 2011-12.

‘The good thing is to win the Champions League, so you win a trophy and you have Champions League football next season,’ added Klopp, whose Liverpool close out their season at home to relegated Middlesbrough on Sunday.

‘That’s the best thing, or being champions, so you have a trophy and the Champions League. Or the FA Cup.

‘Maybe top four is more important from a financial point of view, but there’s no alternative to winning trophies. There’s no alternative. It’s always what we’re all playing for. No one goes into a final and thinks it’s not that important.’

– This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za