'There's no one quite like Jamie'
Roy Evans insists Liverpool should search for a different type of defender when they look to replace Jamie Carragher in the summer - because there is no-one else like the 35-year-old.
Evans handed Carra his full debut against Aston Villa in August 1997, and he believes finding another player quite like the Bootle Boy will prove an impossible feat.
However, recruiting a different type of centre-back, who can slot into the current set-up, must be a priority for Brendan Rodgers over the coming months, according to the former Reds boss.
"We'll have to get somebody to replace Jamie Carragher and Brendan did mention in his press conference [after Everton] that he will look hard and long to replace him," Evans told Liverpoolfc.com.
"But the trick is that you don't replace Jamie with someone like him; you replace him with somebody different, because there isn't another Jamie out there.
"There's somebody different - a different type of centre-back.
"You have to get one of course. You have to get one that can play with Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel and the others.
"We've got a couple of young lads who are desperate to get in [to the side] as well. We've got to fill a void in terms of Jamie's personality and his ability."
Carragher will pull on the captain's armband for the last two games of the 2012-13 campaign against Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.
Steven Gerrard's absence due to shoulder surgery means the vice-captain will take centre stage - and Evans believes the nerves will already be starting to kick in for Carra as his final minutes approach.
"Carra will be starting to think: "I've only got two games to go'" said Evans. "He'll be desperate to play. He's just got to enjoy the two games.
"He'll be saying to the lads that there is no such thing as two games that mean nothing. [For Carra] these two games mean everything.
"He won't want to go out having lost his last two games."
Since he made his debut in 1998, club captain Gerrard has been Carragher's teammate through thick and thin.
And while Gerrard has been the one sporting the armband on the field, he has always benefitted from Carragher's skills when it comes to marshalling the side from the back.
"I think Steven will be even more important [when Carragher leaves] but in a different way," explained Evans.
"Steven is vocal enough - he's not a quiet one, he passes on information and is loud on the pitch. Maybe he has to be a little more vocal now.
"But from the back, you can see everything and you can organise a lot more [like Carragher]. Steven runs into forward positions where he can't see what is going on behind.
"I don't think Stevie can take any more of a role that he is already played. But if he can, he can be a little more vocal, unless we get somebody else in who can take over Carra's mantle."
With just two games remaining in the current campaign, Evans was asked for his Liverpool player of the year.
"I'd love to give it to Carra," he replied. "I think we've been a better team since he came back into the side.
"But I think Gerrard has been fantastic, because he has played every single Premier League game so far and he's been a massive influence in that sense.
"I have to say Steven has been the dominant force. And again we're talking about the two local boys - which is great."
One man whose recent addition to the Anfield fold has caused opposition defences plenty of problems has been Philippe Coutinho.
The Brazilian schemer has scooped Standard Chartered Player of the Month awards, as voted for by the fans, for March and April - and Evans has been suitably impressed.
"Coutinho looks really good," he said. "At the moment, Brendan is moving him around and playing him in different places, which at this stage of the season, is a good thing.
"But this lad has got a great talent in seeing a pass and people like Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge can benefit. They are making runs and now they are being found with great passes.
"The short passes over 10 or 15 yards are great but he also finds the long ones. This lad has got ability and as long as his physical side stands up, we've got a great player in there.
"You need players with that sort of ability in order to break the opposition down. He's the type of player who, for me, will be a great credit to the club."