Dominik Szoboszlai's ex-teammate made feelings clear on unexpected new Liverpool role

9 hours ago 61

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai played at right-back for Arne Slot against Stoke City this weekend as the Reds head coach experimented with a few of his stars.

But the full-back role is actually one that the Hungarian has done before while representing his former club, RB Leipzig. In August 2022, he did so in an early-round DFB Pokal clash against Teutonia Ottensen. Clearly, given that is a fifth-tier side, not too much should be read into the result or the performances of those involved. But Szoboszlai assisted two goals and impressed his teammates on the day, who enjoyed the fact he was playing an unfamiliar role.

At Liverpool this season, while he might face more competition for the number 10 berth after the arrival of Florian Wirtz, Szoboszlai shouldn't expect to play at full-back too often.

"Dani Alves," fellow Leipzig star Benjamin Henrichs commented on Instagram at the time. In addition to Szoboszlai setting up two goals, he also provided an assist for another five chances in the game, which Leipzig won 8-0.

Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong have both impressed in pre-season so far and the pair are likely to have the right-back slot nailed down between them. Together, they will need to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Szoboszlai, though Wirtz has come in, should still be playing a lot of minutes, however. He can also play deeper, allowing for more rotation for Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre

Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre

Szoboszlai has been tipped to play as a holding midfielder in the future, and Slot will not want to lose his energy and relentless pressing ability in the center of the field.

There will be more than enough games to go around, though, with Gravenberch, for instance, suspended for the Premier League opener against Bournemouth at Anfield in mid-August.

Before then, Liverpool could experiment more with various stars during the pre-season trip to Asia. The Reds are set to face AC Milan and Yokohama Marinos in a 10-day visit to Hong Kong and Japan.

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Earlier today, the Liverpool stars landed for their summer tour. Upon their return to England, the Reds will then face a double-header against Athletic Bilbao at Anfield and the Community Shield against Crystal Palace at Wembley.

By then, they might have confirmed the signing of Hugo Ekitike and there potentially could be more movement in the market to come too. A center-back should be a high priority, while there will also be exits.

Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott, who are both on the pre-season tour, have interest from elsewhere.

So too does Luis Diaz, the Colombian winger who Bayern Munich has expressed interest in, though Liverpool wants to keep the 28-year-old.

Story Saved

You can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.

Read Entire Article