Liverpool’s trip to face Manchester United this Sunday is set to be crucial in deciding the Premier League’s top-five race.
Both clubs currently look well-placed to qualify for next season’s Champions League, sitting fourth and third respectively, each on 58 points.
United could push ahead if they take something from Monday’s clash with Brentford, and Michael Carrick’s side will be buoyed by the fact that they will likely escape facing Mohamed Salah one last time.
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Florian Wirtz knee slides in celebration after scoring for Liverpool during their Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Liverpool FC).
Photo credit: Getty Images/Liverpool FC
Salah has an impeccable record for Liverpool against United, especially at Old Trafford, and it will be a devastating blow for the Egyptian to miss a final chance to punish the Reds’ biggest rivals.
Losing Salah along with Hugo Ekitike makes Arne Slot‘s task of picking a forward line for the rest of the season a little more difficult, but the Dutchman still has six exciting combinations he could use, starting with Sunday’s mammoth clash.
Rio Ngumoha could finally be unleashed
Slot is going to have to replace Salah one way or another in the coming months, and the next three or four games could be an insight into how he plans to do that.
Though new players are likely to arrive in the summer, part of the plan will surely be to give Rio Ngumoha more minutes.
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Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images
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Against United and beyond, the 17-year-old could either come in directly for Salah on the Liverpool right, or could take up his usual left-sided role, pushing someone else across to the other side.
In reality, he is more likely to be kept on the left, and that could mean a pacy potential front line of Ngumoha, Alexander Isak and Jeremie Frimpong gets a run out at Old Trafford.
Cody Gakpo would technically do a job in place of Salah, but it seems unlikely that Slot would shift his countryman, leaving Ngumoha and Frimpong as the two main candidates.
If the Liverpool head coach opts to play the teenager on the right, he could use either Florian Wirtz or Gakpo on the left, with Isak surely the only certain starter through the middle.
Frimpong may have his chance to shine
When Liverpool looked at their attacking options last summer, it was decreed that Frimpong could be the man to replace Salah during his stint at the Africa Cup of Nations in December.
While injury prevented Frimpong from having as big an impact as he would have liked, that would make him the most obvious choice for Slot in the upcoming weeks.
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Arne Slot reacts animatedly during Liverpool's UEFA Champions League match against Galatasaray at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Carl Recine).
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot kisses the Premier League trophy after the final day of the 2025/26 season at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Carl Recine).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Carl Recine
If it is the 25-year-old who gets the nod instead of Ngumoha, he is likely to be part of a front three with either Isak and Wirtz, or Isak and Gakpo.
Gakpo has been better in recent weeks, and with Wirtz tending to be better playing a little more centrally, Gakpo, Isak, Frimpong is perhaps the most likely of all the combinations.
Chiesa still has wildcard chances
Perhaps the least likely option Slot could choose is to hand Federico Chiesa a rare Premier League start at Old Trafford.
Although his best position is arguably from the left – one he has barely been deployed in during his two years with the Reds – the Italian was loosely signed as a back-up to Salah.
Left Wing Centre-forward Right Wing
1. Cody Gakpo Alexander Isak Jeremie Frimpong
2. Rio Ngumoha Alexander Isak Jeremie Frimpong
3. Cody Gakpo Alexander Isak Rio Ngumoha
4. Florian Wirtz Alexander Isak Rio Ngumoha
5. Florian Wirtz Alexander Isak Jeremie Frimpong
6. Cody Gakpo Alexander Isak Federico Chiesa
Chiesa is likely to leave along with the Egyptian King this summer, and being the character that he is, he will no doubt be itching for one last moment to punctuate a disappointing spell.
As unlikely as it seems, one could come against United. Slot could choose to protect Ngumoha in such a big game, and instead choose to go with experience.
With Frimpong’s fitness still being managed, that could lead to an opening for Chiesa. In that scenario, the 28-year-old would start from the right with Isak and Gakpo joining him in the attack.
Every Liverpool fan would rather they line up at Old Trafford with Salah in the team, but unless he makes a magical recovery, Slot could still deploy any of these six options to give an exciting insight into his other attacking talents.
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