Dominik Szoboszlai has already insisted he is happy to play anywhere for Liverpool, after Jamie Carragher claimed the midfielder would not want to slot in at right-back this season. The Hungary international has previously stated that he is willing to help the team wherever he can, directly addressing doubts about his positional flexibility.
Carragher's concerns over Liverpool's right-back situation
Carragher recently said he is not convinced Szoboszlai would be eager to help out head coach Andoni Iraola by playing at right-back. The Liverpool legend also believes the club's failure to sign a new right-back in the summer window was a 'massive mistake'. He thinks the dynamic midfielder may be forced to drop back into the role this year, as he did last season to solid effect.
This is due to Conor Bradley's long-term injury and Jeremie Frimpong's current poor form. Right-back has become a troubling position for Liverpool ever since Trent Alexander-Arnold left for Real Madrid last summer.
Szoboszlai's new contract and vice-captaincy
Szoboszlai, 25, was rewarded with a new contract for his efforts in an otherwise poor season for the club last year and promoted as one of the club's vice captains. Carragher thinks the Hungarian's newfound status as one of the team's leaders means he will demand to start in the middle, despite insisting Szoboszlai is better equipped as a full-back.
"The big thing he (Iraola) has got, and it happened last season and at the weekend, Szoboszlai went back to right-back. I've never believed Szoboszlai is a central midfield player," Carragher said on the Stick to Football podcast.
"Now, he's signed a new contract and I can only imagine in those talks, they were desperate for him to stay, he's almost said, 'I want to play midfield'. He's moved around a bit and he started the season in central midfield. I don't see him as that.
"For me, in midfield he's a Jordan Henderson. Runner, energy, with more of a goal threat. But Liverpool don't play that way and he's not really a No 10. His best role could actually be at right-back. He'd get plenty of the ball, he can run and almost play that Trent role from there.
"But there's no way he's going to want to play there because he's just signed a new contract for £350,000 a week. You've just done this big thing, he's the vice-captain, I just think that's a conversation Iraola is going to have to have going forward, because the midfield is not right and he's part of that midfield not being right."
Szoboszlai's response and preferred position
Speaking ahead of the new Premier League season, though, Szoboszlai maintained he is ready to be deployed wherever Iraola asks him. "I could easily say, 'I don’t want to play full-back; either you put me in midfield, or I’m not playing'," he said.
"But I don’t do that because I want to help my team however I can. It's a team sport. Ultimately, I want to win, no matter where I’m asked to play. Some might say you’re perhaps too nice... I’m a team player. I’m not too nice, believe me!
"But I have too much ego; the more people try to tell me I won't succeed, the more I take a perverse pleasure in proving them wrong. That's why I have so much love for the people sitting on their sofas talking s**t about me."
Szoboszlai added: "Honestly, moving from midfield to full-back really isn’t difficult. In midfield, you need a panoramic view because the play - and the opponents - can come from anywhere, whereas at full-back, it’s pretty binary: if there’s no one in front of me, I’m free; if there’s an opponent, I’m not. Simple.
"But my preferred position is box-to-box midfielder, because I have every option: playing short or long, running with the ball, making runs off the ball, shooting from distance, or dropping in closer."
Liverpool will be looking to post their first three points of the season on Friday night when they head to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town.
