'They deserve it': Former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier says Anfield club should be awarded Premier League title

Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier says if the English Premier League season cannot be concluded due to the COVID-19 crisis, the league should award the title to the Anfield club.

Liverpool sits a colossal 25 points clear from the field at the top of the English Premier League, which has been on hold since March 9.

And with footballing authorities currently wrestling with their options to ensure a satisfactory outcome to their respective competitions, Houllier said his former club's lead is such that the Reds would be deserving champions if the season was cut short.

Speaking to English radio station TalkSport, Houllier said Liverpool should be awarded the title: "Yeah. That’s what they did in France. They gave it to Paris St Germain. They had a 12-point lead and I think Liverpool needed just two games to win the title.

"If there was a difference of maybe two or three points then you could argue it takes some chances away from teams behind but 25 points there is no way they wouldn’t be champions. They deserve it."

It is currently unclear whether the Premier League will return this season, though plans are afoot to see if it is possible to find a way to fulfill all the remaining fixtures. 

However, Houllier, who now works as an adviser to  Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas, said the league should be led by the UK government's advice, rather than by their own approach.

"I think they should follow the government’s rules. If the government decides we stop then we have to abide by that," he said.

"Second, maybe wait a little bit because we don’t know what it’s going to be like in a fortnight or in three weeks' time."