5 hours ago
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Newcastle United and Premier League legend Alan Shearer has hinted that Liverpool manager Arne Slot may not fully trust Jeremie Frimpong or Conor Bradley as yet, while also expressing confidence in Mohamed Salah's ability to return to top form.
As the previous season drew to a close, it was clear that Trent Alexander-Arnold would be parting ways with Anfield upon the expiry of his contract.
Real Madrid eventually shelled out million to secure Alexander-Arnold's early release from his contract for the Club World Cup, but Liverpool had already initiated the search for a replacement before this deal was sealed. Bradley had been acting as Alexander-Arnold's understudy prior to his exit, and Frimpong was recruited from Bayer Leverkusen to intensify competition for the role.
However, Frimpong has only been in the starting line-up for one Premier League match for Liverpool this season, with a hamstring injury also curtailing his opportunities.
While the Dutch player was anticipated to be the Reds' first choice, it's evident that this hasn't been the case, and Bradley too has found it challenging to cement his place.
In the meantime, Salah hasn't quite hit the heights of the previous season, and although three consecutive defeats in all competitions is far from ideal, there's a palpable resolve not to overreact.
Nevertheless, Shearer has told Betfair that he believes Slot has the capability to right the ship at Anfield.
"Mo Salah will come back to his best, start scoring goals and we'll all look back and wonder what the fuss was about," Shearer elaborated. "He epitomizes what's happening at Liverpool at the moment in terms of being affected by the balance and Liverpool and Slot can't find it yet with the new players.
"Slot doesn't trust Frimpong yet at right-back. He doesn't trust Conor Bradley hence the reason he played [Dominik] Szoboszlai there.
"[Joe] Gomez was on the bench, and he put [Ryan] Gravenberch at centre-back instead and I guess the balance is all over the place at the moment. It's not just Mo Salah, it's down the left and right side.
"Arne Slot is a brilliant coach so it's a matter of time before they do get firing. Now's the time for other clubs to try and build a lead because it was only six days ago that Arsenal were five points behind Liverpool.
"Two games later, they're a point ahead. Things can move pretty quickly, and Liverpool will get better, as will Salah."
Following this weekend's international break, Liverpool are set to return to Premier League action next week with a high-profile clash against Manchester United at Anfield.
Despite a resounding victory over Sunderland prior to the October break, questions still linger around Amorim and United, something Slot's team will be keen to capitalize on as they aim to get back on the winning track.
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