The knives are out for Arne Slot.

Steve Nicol hasn't held back in his assessment of Liverpool's current plight, delivering a brutal verdict on the manager's future after Sunday's latest disappointment at Old Trafford. The four-time league winner with the Reds believes Slot has already lost his dressing room.

Speaking on ESPN, Nicol painted a picture of a side in complete disarray. "They look absolutely lost," he said. "There is not a thing you can put your finger on and say that is a positive other than Szoboszlai."

It's harsh language from someone who knows what winning looks like at Anfield. But when you've just witnessed your 11th Premier League defeat of the season, your 18th loss across all competitions, perhaps harsh is what's needed.

Nicol's most damning assessment concerned the relationship between manager and players. "You can see with the performances that they are lost," he explained. "You know Slot is trying to help everyone and talk to them, but it looks like they have completely lost faith in him."

That's the death knell for any manager. When the dressing room turns, when players stop believing in the message, the writing's on the wall. Nicol seems convinced we've reached that point.

The former defender didn't stop there. He believes Liverpool would abandon Slot in a heartbeat if the right replacement became available. "I think if Xabi Alonso agreed to go to Liverpool, they would let him go because they are in disarray," Nicol stated.

It's a suggestion that will send shivers down the spine of any Red still backing the Dutchman. The idea that Slot has become so expendable, so quickly, feels almost surreal given the optimism that surrounded his appointment.

But Nicol's reading of the situation is uncompromising. "As bad as it has been for Arne Slot, somehow it is getting worse and worse when they step on the field. It's hard not to ridicule them now, that's how bad it is."

The solution, according to the Liverpool legend, is radical surgery. "They are in a position where there is a huge cloud over them and the only way you get rid of it is by making huge changes. It's not by keeping the same guy in charge with the same players."

His prescription is explosive: "You have to put a hand grenade in, blow it up and start again. I don't believe you can do it with Arne Slot now."

Those words carry weight coming from someone who lifted four league titles in a red shirt. This isn't punditry for clicks or controversy. This feels like genuine concern from someone who understands what Liverpool should look like.

The mathematics still favour Champions League qualification, mind you. With a six-point cushion over sixth-placed Bournemouth and three matches remaining, Liverpool need just four points to secure their place at European football's top table.

Next Saturday brings Chelsea to Anfield, a side that has somehow managed to lose their last six league matches. It should be an opportunity to steady the ship, to show Nicol and other doubters that reports of Slot's demise are premature.

Then comes the trip to Aston Villa before Brentford provide the opposition for what could be a highly charged final home match of the campaign.

Slot's contract runs until June 2027, but as Nicol's assessment makes clear, contracts mean little when confidence evaporates. The Dutchman has three matches to prove his former defender wrong.

The question is whether three matches can repair what appears to be irreparable damage to the most important relationship in football: the one between manager and players.