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John Barnes has revealed Dominik Szoboszlai is his “favorite player” from the current Liverpool squad and claimed his versatility and selflessness have been huge for Arne Slot.
The midfielder has started 16 matches this season, missing just the Carabao Cup ties. Along with Virgil van Dijk, Szoboszlai is the only Liverpool player to feature in every minute of the Reds’ league campaign.
The Hungary captain, who saw his World Cup hopes dashed on Sunday, has played in multiple roles for Slot this season, including a few appearances at right-back. While the majority have struggled this season, Szoboszlai is perhaps the only member of the squad whose performance levels have actually improved from last season.
Barnes, speaking to Liverpool.com at a Haier x Liverpool pop-up event at Liverpool One, said Szoboszlai has been the Reds’ best player this season.
“He was my favorite player last year. And this year's my favorite player,” the Liverpool icon opined. “He does a lot of the work that people don't see. He works hard, put him in any position.
“He's a humble player who plays for the team, plays right-backs, attacking midfield, defensive midfield. You can see why Jurgen Klopp signed him, because he is an all-action player who plays for the team.
“I won't say he does a lot of unseen work, because a lot of people do appreciate him, but he does a lot of the dirty work, if you like. While a lot of people may take the glory in terms of the goals or beating players, and looking great in terms of what he gives the team, for me, he's been our best player this year.”
Szoboszlai’s ability to operate as a box-to-box midfielder, no.10 or from a deeper role is a unique characteristic for a modern player.
“He can play anywhere, and I think if you put him at center-back, you can do that,” said Barnes.
“You could put him in any role, and that's a great option for the manager to have. I'm sure he'd like to tie down no.8 role, which is his position, but when he's asked to play in any role whatsoever, he does it with aplomb, and he also does it with the right attitude and the right commitment, without sulking that he's playing a role that may be alien to him.”
Another player who has impressed in recent weeks is Conor Bradley. The Northern Ireland star marshaled Vinicius Junior excellently in the win over Real Madrid and then earned praise from Pep Guardiola despite being in the losing side at the Etihad.
Barnes is delighted Liverpool appears to have found a smooth transition at right-back following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s summer departure to Real Madrid.
“He [Bradley] is not there to replace Trent,” said Barnes. “He's a different player to Trent. [Milos] Kerkez is not necessarily there to replace Andy Robertson. The team has changed.
“I think that he [Bradley] is a better defender [than Alexander-Arnold]. Yes, he can come forward in a different way to Trent; he's not going to be as creative in long passes, but he doesn't have to be.
“He has to be his own person, his own player. Liverpool play completely different now than when they had Trent. So he doesn't have to feel he has to come in and do what Trent did.
“You saw his performances, particularly against Real Madrid, how good he is defensively. And we have enough creativity not to need our right-back to be the most creative player on the field as maybe Trent was.
“He's young, he's inexperienced and he's trying to fill big shoes. But I have no fears that he has a bright future.”
Barnes was speaking to Liverpool.com at Haier’s immersive multi-day pop-up experience in the heart of Liverpool city. The smart home appliance giant partnered with Liverpool in September and launched the five-day event last week, which was designed to enhance the relationship between soccer and smart home technology.
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