Dominik Szoboszlai is one of three vice-captains at Liverpool this season, and former Reds winger Steve McManaman has challenged him to help fill the leadership void
Dominik Szoboszlai during Liverpool's win at Ipswich
Dominik Szoboszlai during Liverpool's win at Ipswich(Image: Henry Nicholls / AFP via Getty Images)
Former Liverpool star Steve McManaman has called on Dominik Szoboszlai to fill the leadership gap left by the departures of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson at Anfield.
Szoboszlai was appointed as one of three vice captains to club skipper Virgil van Dijk by incoming head coach Andoni Iraola this summer, with the Hungary international sharing those responsibilities alongside veteran goalkeeper Alisson Becker and long-serving defender Joe Gomez, who has been at the club since 2015.
The end-of-season exits of Robertson and Salah, both of whom played pivotal roles in an enormously successful era for the club following their arrivals in 2017, have prompted fears that Liverpool's dressing room now lacks influential figures beyond Van Dijk, who also captains the Netherlands national side.
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With Szoboszlai now firmly embedded within Anfield's leadership group, former Reds winger McManaman believes the time has come for the RB Leipzig man to prove himself indispensable to Iraola's team.
"Szoboszlai is another one who is establishing himself in this team now," McManaman told Seven, powered by Ladbrokes.
"You know, the goalkeeper (Alisson) has been there for 10 years and is a superstar, as has the center-half (Van Dijk), and now it's Dominik who is continuing that spine of the team.
"We've lost some big players over the last few years — big characters in the side — and so you need somebody to either come in or step up. That's what superstars do. He's probably the incumbent captain after Virgil; he's in the middle of the park, and he dictates how we play.
Dominik Szoboszlai, alongside his former Liverpool teammate, Mohamed Salah
Dominik Szoboszlai, alongside his former Liverpool teammate, Mohamed Salah(Image: ( Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))
"He's got a really important role to play this season, because we've lost some huge characters. You know, Mo (Salah) was a hugely experienced name in the dressing room.
"Robbo (Robertson) was the same; big voices, big characters who controlled the dressing room. That needs to continue, and hopefully with Alisson, Virgil and Dominik, they need to play a really big role in bringing the younger lads through, and quite quickly."
McManaman added: "A good season for Andoni Iraola and Liverpool is to be competitive in the cup competitions, and getting into the Champions League again. From what I've seen up to this point, I think that would be a good season for Andoni — I really do.
"I still think they're a little bit light to challenge for the title, but if they can get into the Champions League spots, then that's a good season for me.
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"You know, there are a lot of youngsters in that squad who are very good, but you can't put too much pressure on them when they've got very little experience in the Premier League. They need time to bed in, so what I really want is for the players that we brought in last year to be better this year, and I think they will.
"The combination of that, the improvement of last year's signings, the arrival of a few this summer, and the excitement of some of the younger players around the squad, I think, makes for a good season ahead."
Liverpool.com says: Szoboszlai is a leader for his country, but he needs to do more at club level. He has the capacity to do it, and in time is should arrive. That has to be a key element in his game moving forward.