With Florian Wirtz potentially facing a spell on the sidelines, it’s time for Kieran Morrison to follow in the footsteps of Rio Ngumoha.
After he missed the Nottingham Forest tie, the Liverpool manager seemed to suggest that Wirtz would have recovered in time to face West Ham United on Saturday.
However, Slot ruled out the German during his pre-match press conference on Friday and confirmed he did not know when he’d be back.
Wirtz was a big miss against Forest, and now it looks as though it is not a short-term injury; the Dutchman needs to find more solutions to help out his forward line.
Who should be Liverpool’s no.10 vs West Ham? Mac Allister over Szoboszlai? 🤔
Alexis Mac Allister during Arsenal v Liverpool - Premier League
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Kieran Morrison can help cover Florian Wirtz’s absence
Rio Ngumoha shone at the City Ground during his brief cameo, with Jamie Carragher saying he did more than Mohamed Salah.
The young winger should now be given more playing time in the Premier League moving forward, but Wirtz’s absence could also open the door for Kieran Morrison.
Morrison has trained with Liverpool’s senior side ahead of West Ham and is now likely to be on the bench this weekend.
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The 19-year-old is a natural right winger and could follow in the footsteps of Ngumoha and start competing with Salah out wide.
CHANGE MY MIND: Liverpool will drop points vs West Ham if Wirtz doesn’t play 👀
He's our most important player right now, not Szoboszlai
Florian Wirtz form for Liverpool
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But he is also a very capable attacking midfielder, meaning he can be used as an alternative to Wirtz while he’s out of action.
Morrison is ready to leave the Liverpool Academy behind him, as has become clear in his performances this season.
He is well on course to break a Liverpool record set by Harry Wilson when he was still featuring in the Reds’ youth ranks, already notching 10 goals and three assists in 14 Premier League 2 games this season.
And while Slot has been criticised for his use of youngsters this season, the lack of depth in the senior squad means Wirtz’s absence could easily be filled by Morrison.
Ngumoha has already taken his chance; now it’s time for another Academy gem to make an impact in the Premier League.
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