Jamie Carragher insists Liverpool have built, not bought, their success in recent seasons.
Jurgen Klopp's side finished as Champions League runners-up in 2017/18, before going one better and winning the tournament last term.
The Reds now look set to win their first Premier League title since 1990, with second-placed Manchester City 14 points adrift of the table-toppers.
Klopp has spent over £400m since arriving at Anfield in 2015, but Carragher says his former club are in such a lofty position due to numerous factors.
"Jurgen Klopp has moved Liverpool so far ahead because rather than buy a team of superstars, he has made a team of superstars," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"Klopp did not rebuild by signing players beyond his rivals' means, or because he had financial backing his predecessors or title-challenging managers at other clubs were denied.
"There is not a single Liverpool signing who will feature this weekend who Manchester United could not have afforded.
"It is often suggested Manchester United in 2020 resemble Liverpool in the 1990s - expensive and underperforming, where the only signs of hope come from the emerging youngsters. I would switch the argument.
"The Liverpool of 2020 has more in common with United in the early 1990s, just before Sir Alex Ferguson lifted his first title; a well-drilled, disciplined and brilliantly managed team who bought well, improved those signed and introduced academy gems at the right time.
"It was not overnight success. How often do you still hear managers beg for patience by pointing out it took Ferguson seven years to win the league? If Klopp does it this year he will have achieved it in five.
"Throughout my career, I thought there was only one way Liverpool would be able to win the Premier League - if they experienced a Roman Abramovich or Sheikh Mansour takeover. Hopefully I will be proved wrong in May."
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