Right-back has been a problem position this season due to the fitness issues of Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong. Dominik Szoboszlai has regularly filled in, but that will not be case on Tuesday
04:00, 10 Feb 2026
Curtis Jones shakes hands with Arne Slot
Arne Slot has several options to choose from at right-back
Liverpool’s issues at right-back have been taken to new extremes following Dominik Szoboszlai’s red card against Manchester City on Sunday.
The midfielder has acted as defensive cover in the last two games following Jeremie Frimpong’s injury against Qarabag. But Szoboszlai will be ineligible to do so again at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday after his controversial pull on Erling Haaland resulted in his dismissal in the latter stages of the 2-1 loss at Anfield last weekend.
Slot also confirmed he is not expecting Frimpong to be back in time from his groin issue, while it looks unlikely Joe Gomez will be available following the hip injury he sustained against Bournemouth last month.
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“Jeremie for sure not. We knew that when he got injured, it was a few weeks,” said the Liverpool coach after the City defeat.
“To be honest, I don’t expect Joe back for Wednesday, but you never know. Then he is back from being out for three weeks, would you play him now?
“I have to make that decision. Let’s see what decision we make. We have other players that can play that position as well. Dom played very well in that position again, but unfortunately, he is unavailable for Wednesday.”
LEEDS, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 06: Wataru Endo of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Liverpool at Elland Road on December 06, 2025 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Endo may be the obvious solution to start at right-back on Wednesday(Image: Getty Images)
With Conor Bradley out for the remainder of the season, those options are severely limited.
Wataru Endo would seem the obvious choice, given he played at right-back against Qarabag after Frimpong’s withdrawal. However, the Japan captain has started just one league match under Slot, and that came after Liverpool had secured the title last season.
Endo also lacks match fitness, having played just over 100 minutes in the league this term.
Curtis Jones is another player Slot has previously deployed at right-back, as was the case against PSV Eindhoven earlier this season. Given his need for minutes, that may represent a viable option.
An alternative solution would be to select Andy Robertson at right-back, although playing a left-footer in that position could upset the team’s balance.
Calvin Ramsay has joined Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock on loan
Slot has said he is not reluctant to play Ramsay(Image: Getty Images)
Oddly, Calvin Ramsay, a natural right-back, is unlikely to start against Sunderland. The 22-year-old has been named on the bench for the last 10 league matches, but has never previously made a Premier League appearance.
He did play in a Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace in October, but Slot is reluctant to call upon him for league matches.
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“The moment I am running out of options, he showed in the one game that he played against Palace, and the moments he trained with us, that he is good enough to be in and around our players, and then you have to wait for a chance to show this to the rest of the world,” Slot said last month. “But at this moment in time, I have, in my opinion, still better options than him.”
So it could come down to a straight selection between the more defensively astute Endo, or Jones, who will invariably help Liverpool’s build-up play.
Slot’s approach to the match, his tactical demands, and his assessment of Sunderland will determine who starts at right-back on Wednesday.