Lallana contract question and price it would cost Liverpool to replace him

With only months left on his Liverpool contract, Adam Lallana sent a timely reminder of his worth in a man-of-the-match display in Sunday's Merseyside derby.

The resurgent midfielder was fantastic in an all-action performance, having taken over the captain's duties following an early injury to James Milner.

In a brilliant day for a Liverpool side made up of fringe and youth players, Lallana's contribution did not go unnoticed on the most recent edition of the Blood Red podcast , with host Sean Bradbury having singled the ex-Southampton skipper out for praise.

“Adam Lallana did superbly, he took that armband and led the midfield,” said Bradbury. “He was fantastic.”

And soon talk turned to the Lallana's Anfield future, with panelist Joe Rimmer keen to underline the former England International's importance to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool squad.

“Every time he's been called upon this season, Lallana has done very, very well, he scored a very important goal at Old Trafford,” he said.

“It's so easy to forget when these players are absent, that they're very good players, there's a reason that they play for Liverpool and there's a reason that Klopp rates them.

“To see him come back in and play in the role he did and play ever so well against a very senior Everton team.

“Who do you go out and buy that can really go in and play like Lallana with the same amount of experience?

“It would take £30m to find a player like that, and to me, especially if Liverpool go onto win the league, wouldn't it be good to keep some of the squad together as they're such a tight-knit group?”

But does Lallana's future lie just in the club's hands?

“Lallana strikes me as the kind of guy who would probably want to go and play, so it might come as much from him as it does from Liverpool in terms of wanting a new deal,” said Rimmer.

“But I think he's proven he can be very useful, and he's proven a few of us wrong.”

In response, the ECHO's chief Liverpool writer Ian Doyle seemed confident that this season will be Lallana's last at Liverpool.

He said: “I think this is his last season. I think he goes in the summer. Liverpool just can't hang onto everybody.”