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• Which three get your vote? Ferdinand, Toure, Neville, Terry and Fowler among 15 Premier League Hall of Fame nominees

  Rio Ferdinand was "delighted" to be named among 15 nominees for the Premier League Hall of Fame.

  Introduced in 2021, the Hall of Fame has inducted eight players in each of the past two years, adding managerial greats Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger on Wednesday.

  Voting for the latest round of player inductees has begun, with greats nominated from across the last 30 years of the Premier League.

  The 2023 class of inductees is dominated by defenders, including former Arsenal captain Tony Adams, ex-Chelsea skipper John Terry and Manchester United stalwarts Ferdinand and Gary Neville.

  Former Chelsea and Arsenal duo Petr Cech and Ashley Cole are also nominated, along with ex-United defender Nemanja Vidic.

  Midfielders Michael Carrick and Yaya Toure represent both sides of Manchester, with strikers Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen completing the list.

  Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: "Delighted to be nominated again on the #PLHallOfFame. Few decent CBs [centre-backs] listed on the nominees."

  The former England captain will be hoping it is third time lucky, having also been among the nominees in 2021 and 2022.

  Fans can vote for three players they believe should be inducted, with voting open until 6pm BST on Monday, April 10.

  Only three players will take their place among the greats this time around.

  The shortlist has been reduced from 25 names previously to 15 and players are only eligible if their retirement was confirmed before 1 January 2023.

  In order to be eligible, players must have made at least 250 Premier League appearances or made 200 league appearances for a single club, been selected in any Team of the Decade or 20-year Anniversary teams, won a Golden Boot or Golden Glove, been voted Player of the Season, won three titles or scored 100 goals or registered 100 clean sheets.

  2023 nominees: Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Michael Carrick, Petr Cech, Andy Cole, Ashley Cole, Jermain Defoe, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Gary Neville, Michael Owen, John Terry, Yaya Toure, Nemanja Vidic.

• I hope Klopp never, never leaves Liverpool, says Reds legend Dudek

  Liverpool legend Jerzy Dudek hopes Jurgen Klopp "never" leaves the club despite a difficult season bringing his future into question.

  The Reds have struggled for consistency this term and have a fight on their hands just to finish in the top four as they sit seven points behind Tottenham in the final Champions League spot.

  There were signs of improvement at the start of March when Liverpool beat Wolves 2-0 before claiming an astonishing and record-breaking 7-0 win over bitter rivals Manchester United.

  But that was followed up by a shock 1-0 loss to struggling Bournemouth, and then Real Madrid confirmed their Champions League elimination with another 1-0 defeat, which contributed to a 6-2 aggregate scoreline.

  Last season, Liverpool reached the Champions League final, won an EFL Cup and FA Cup double, and finished just a point behind Premier League champions Manchester City – this term will end trophyless, and their worst form has coincided with questions over Klopp's long-term future.

  Dudek seemingly feels Liverpool should be doing everything they can to keep him.

  "I hope it will never, never happen that Jurgen will leave our club," Dudek told Stats Perform.

  "I think he receives fair support. I think the team needs the support, especially when they're not playing well.

  "This is much easier, criticising the team, when they're not playing well. I think they need the time to recover."

  Liverpool have been particularly impacted by injuries to key players this season, robbing Klopp of the possibility to consistently pick his strongest XI.

  As such, Dudek is convinced this season is just a blip, and Klopp will be the one to lead them back into the light.

  "I think this team will be back next season, definitely. And, yes, definitely with Jurgen Klopp."

  The Reds are back in action on Saturday when they face champions Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

• Van Dijk can keep Haaland quiet, says Keane

  Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk remains a "world-class player" who is as capable as anyone of keeping Manchester City striker Erling Haaland quiet.

  That is according to former Reds striker Robbie Keane, who also told Stats Perform talk of Jurgen Klopp departing Anfield is "absolutely ludicrous".

  Van Dijk's form for club and country has been the subject of much debate, with Netherlands greats Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit heavily criticising the defender this week.

  On the back of the Netherlands' 4-0 loss to France, Van Basten accused Van Dijk of "making noise but not saying anything" and creating chaos in the side.

  Fellow former Netherlands international Gullit, speaking alongside Van Basten in his punditry role with Ziggo Sport, said Van Dijk "thinks he is better than the rest".

  Experienced defender Van Dijk faces arguably the toughest challenge in world football this weekend when Liverpool travel to City on their return to Premier League action.

  Haaland, who is expected to be fit despite pulling out of Norway's squad, has scored 42 goals at club level this season – 11 more than any player across Europe's major leagues.

  But Keane believes Van Dijk is more than able to keep the prolific striker quiet in Saturday's contest at the Etihad Stadium.

  "The number of goals Haaland has scored is incredible for such a young player," Keane said. "He's certainly suited to this league and he's powerfully strong.

  "When you're playing a team like Man City, who create the chances they do, you know as a striker you've always got a chance to score goals.

  "But then you have someone like Van Dijk, who is a world-class player. If there's anybody that can keep [Haaland] quiet, it's certainly him."

  Liverpool have won just one of their past 13 Premier League away games against City, with that solitary victory coming in November 2015 when winning 4-1.

  The Reds were beaten by Bournemouth last time out in the league and will finish the campaign trophyless following Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid.

  Klopp has been asked numerous times about his future in what has been a poor campaign for Liverpool, but Keane does not expect him to go anywhere at the end of the season.

  "If I'm being totally honest, I think it's absolutely ridiculous people are even questioning Jurgen Klopp, if he should leave this club or not, absolutely no way," he said. 

  "The only person I think should get to decide that is Jurgen Klopp after what he's done for this football club. It's not going to happen. No way. The fans love him. 

  "I know the owners love him being here, so it would be absolutely ludicrous for people to suggest that he would leave."

  Liverpool have taken 12 points from 13 Premier League away games this season, compared to 30 at home – the biggest difference (18 points) between any side in the division.

  They are running out of time to climb into the top four, but Keane is confident Klopp is the right man to rebuild the squad regardless of what happens over the next two months.

  "The team, like any other team, goes through bad spells and that seems to be happening this year," added Keane, who spent one season with Liverpool in 2008-09.

  "Jurgen Klopp, he's very good at rebuilding. So I'm sure he'd be trying to get into the top four the season with 10 games still to go. 

  "He won't be resting. We know what he's like, the character he is. We hope to get into the top four and then I'm sure he already has one eye on next year and ready to go again."