Liverpool's English midfielder #91 Luca Stephenson (L) vies for the ball with Arsenal's Norwegian midfielder #08 Martin Odegaard (R) during the pre-season club friendly football match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 31, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Liverpool's English midfielder #91 Luca Stephenson (L) vies for the ball with Arsenal's Norwegian midfielder #08 Martin Odegaard (R) during the pre-season club friendly football match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 31, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
The Liverpool academy product have been shining on loan at Scottish Premiership side Dundee United.
Arne Slot will undoubtedly be preparing for the worst.
When Conor Bradley’s scan results return, anything other than Bradley missing the rest of the season might be a bonus to Liverpool.
Slot was hardly confident about Bradley’s setback after the 0-0 draw against Arsenal. The fact that his blow was innocuous and that he was stretchered off the pitch suggested that the Northern Ireland international may have sustained serious damage. An ACL rupture would sideline Bradley for the next 9-12 months.
Jeremie Frimpong is at least back from a hamstring injury, while Joe Gomez has recovered from a muscle problem. But overall, Slot could be short of defensive options. Giovanni Leoni has an ACL injury of his own and won’t play again this season. There is an argument that Frimpong is not even a defender given eye-catching performances as a winger of late.
Plenty of fans will want to see Liverpool use the January transfer market to boost their numbers. Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace is the obvious name. The England international is out of contract in June and Palace have suggested that they will sell for the right price rather than lose him on a free.
Of course, the Reds agreed a £35 million fee with the South London club in the summer only for the plug to be pulled at the 11th hour. There is already a rapport between Guehi and Liverpool. While Guehi is a centre-back, it could mean Gomez is regarded as a full-back for the remainder of the season.
However, there is another potential solution. The Reds do have another option for right-back cover. It would require ending the loan spell of Luca Stephenson at Dundee United.
Stephenson is in the midst of a second campaign on loan at Tannadice Park. In 2024-25, he made a total of 34 appearances, recording three goals and two assists. This term, the Sunderland-born youngster has continued his upward trajectory, scoring four times and creating three in 19 matches.
He has featured from the outset in every fixture and substituted in just three, while one of his goals came in a 1-1 draw against Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts.
Perhaps more importantly, the 22-year-old caught the eye in both pre-seasons under Slot. He operated in several positions when required and under-21 coach Jay Spearing suggested that Stephenson earned the trust of the Liverpool boss. Speaking last July, Spearing told LFCTV: “Luca did exceptionally well last year with the first team. They loved him, the manager loved how he played. He was tenacious, he got on the ball, he'd give it, did things simple.
“He had a fantastic loan at Dundee United. He guided them to European football for the first time in a long time and the manager trusted him again. He is a versatile player; he can play right-back, wing-back and in midfield. It was going to be different for him but the manager trusts him to go in that spot.”
Certainly, Stephenson would feel he could come to Liverpool’s aid if an SOS call was made. He had confidence in his ability, having trained against Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz before he was sold to Bayern Munich. Speaking to The Currier, Stephenson said: “Where I’ve come from in the past couple of years – playing and training at Liverpool – I don’t really fear playing against anybody.
“When I’m training with the best in the world every day, it’s natural to gain confidence. If I can get through a 11 vs 11 against Luis Diaz, I can get through a 11 v 11 playing against anybody in this league.
“The three I played against in the summer and throughout pre-season would have been Diaz, (Florian) Wirtz and (Cody) Gakpo – which is a decent range of players! People like to speak about the negatives of bringing in lads from the big academies, but I also think it does bring that inner belief. If you can control that, and make sure it’s not an arrogance, and then that can be a big positive."
Stephenson is extremely versatile, having operated at right-back, right-midfield and centre-midfield for Dundee United. While it appears unlikely that he has a long-term future at Liverpool, he could be a stop-gap solution. The Reds do have Calvin Ramsay, who was on the bench at Arsenal, but he’s had a severe lack of football over the past few years.
Even if Liverpool decide to dip into the transfer market and sign a new defender, Stephenson could temporarily recalled before returning the Terrors. It is certainly something that Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes must ponder.
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