Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai could be forced to play at right-back again this season, after featuring there on several occasions last time out.
Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool speaks with Andoni Iraola, Manager of Liverpool, after the Premier League 2026/27 match between Newcastle United and Liverpool FC
Dominik Szoboszlai could be forced to play at right-back again this season(Image: (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images))
Andoni Iraola has hinted that Dominik Szoboszlai could feature at right-back again this season, following concerns over the position for Liverpool in the past year.
It follows a chaotic previous campaign, where injuries to the likes of Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, and Joe Gomez had forced Arne Slot's hand to find a creative solution for the role.
Szoboszlai was stationed there, as well as Curtis Jones at times, bringing some more of the on-ball quality in the position that someone like Trent Alexander-Arnold brought to the role, before his unpopular transfer switch to Real Madrid.
While Frimpong has returned, there are questions about the right-back position after Liverpool failed to add another option in the summer transfer window, with doubts persisting over whether a new arrival was needed.
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An injury to Frimpong could force the manager into making a change, with many fans wondering whether Szoboszlai could be called upon to play in that position again.
When asked about it before Liverpool's trip to Ipswich Town on Friday night, Iraola gave a slightly cryptic response, suggesting that changes could be on the cards for the midfielder.
He told the press: "I haven't found any situation where a player has said he doesn't want to play in a position. We have discussions, but everyone wants to help.
"If we have to play Dom as a right winger, as a right-back or a midfielder, he wants to help the team first. We have some injuries now, and we need the versatility of the players, players like Dom. Even in the game, they have to change positions."
Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 2-2 during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Newcastle United and Liverpool FC at St James' Park on August 23, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Liverpool are back in action against Ipswich(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
It would be a change that could bring about plenty of discussion, not least questions about how Liverpool didn't sign a right-back in the summer, but also whether it's a move that restricts Szoboszlai.
The midfielder is at his best when in a more advanced role, capable of creating chances and scoring goals, as he showed during the previous campaign, with a switch to right-back potentially restricting that.
Szoboszlai is clearly open to helping the team, however, as he revealed earlier this year: "Last season I played a lot of positions. I prefer to play midfield. If he [Iraola] wants to play right-back, I will play right back.”
It shows a player who has made it clear where he wants to feature, but there is an acceptance that the team comes first. Considering the fact the side is still looking for a first win of the season, it's clear that the project is a work in progress.
It remains to be seen whether Szoboszlai will be put back in at right-back, with the Ipswich match offering a chance to tinker with the lineup moving forward. However, for now, it looks as though he is likely to continue in midfield until something changes.