I won trophies for Liverpool, but the on-loan player could have sealed the Premier League title after doing something I've never seen before.

Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for the title in 2020, but Nicolas Anelka could have done it 17 years earlier had he stayed at Anfield, says Danny Murphy.

The French striker arrived on Merseyside on loan in January 2002 after having spent just over two years with Arsenal like a fresh-faced teenager.

Having left for real Madrid And then, at Paris Saint-Germain, Anelka had something to prove when he was signed by Gerard Houllier, but it didn't take long for him to make a good impression on the former Liverpool Midfielder Murphy and his teammates.

Speaking on talkSPORT's The Shortlist, Murphy said: “I didn't really appreciate Nicholas Anelka until he arrived at Liverpool and spent half a season on loan.

“I know he went to Spain early and maybe people remember his short spell at Arsenal but this lad was very calm, he wasn't a problem. He had a reputation for being difficult, no. He trained well, he never complained if he was on the bench because we had a lot of players at that time. He was a great lad.”

While Anelka was a joy to play with, he was a nightmare to defend due to his pace and power, as he played over defenders and caused a lot of problems.

It was that explosive speed that Murphy says made him stand out from the rest.

Murphy said: “His footwork and something I'd never seen anyone do was go from zero to 60 so fast, he'd stop people and then he'd be gone.

“He wasn't a bad finisher, but he scored so often because he got himself into position through his skill.

“One thing I remember about Nico is that no matter how much rain there was or how slippery the court was, he always used casts and I never saw him slip. I don’t know how he did it!”

Although he only made 22 appearances for Liverpool, Anelka scored 125 goals in 364 Premier League games.

That included two titles won with Arsenal in 1998 and Chelsea in 2010, along with three FA Cups and two Community Shields.

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Outside of England, Anelka also won the Champions League with Real Madrid in 200, Serie A with Juventus and the Turkish Super League with Fenerbahce in 2005.

He also won the European Championship and the Confederations Cup with France in 2000 and 2001.

Despite these achievements in England and abroad, the Frenchman has yet to be recognised as one of the best strikers in Premier League history.

Asked if Anelka is underrated, Murphy said: “I think it's because of his time here, because he left Arsenal quite early and then was out for quite a while, then came back and had a spell with us and then Chelsea.

“Most great strikers have a moment that you see them in season after season, but his was a bit intermittent, maybe that's why.

“He was one of the most talented, although everything came easy to him.

“He wasn't technically brilliant, but he had a talent for taking the ball and getting past people; I would say he just had a talent for finishing. He would grab the balls a bit and try to hit them hard.”

“But in terms of grace and outplaying people, players were afraid of him.

“He played at Anfield against Newcastle and dominated the game and destroyed them. I can’t remember who he played against, but you wouldn’t want to see him again.”

“You know, when people were coming off the pitch, it was the first time people like MO (Michael Owen) Stevie (Gerrard) were saying 'oh my God'.

“Then for some reason Gerard Houllier didn't sign him permanently at the end of his loan, instead signing El Hadji Diouf.

“I think if we had signed Anelka that summer we could have won the league the following year.”