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It's agreed, Liverpool have new African right-back
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- It's agreed, Liverpool have new African right-back
It's agreed, Liverpool have new African right-back
Liverpool have a new African right-back, and he's special.
Despite an obvious need for reinforcements at right-back, former sporting director Richard Hughes chose not to address the position during the summer transfer window.
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Instead, Liverpool appear to have decided to solve the problem from within, with Conor Bradley seen as the long-term answer. The Northern Irishman is one of the few remaining homegrown options in the squad and has already shown enough to suggest he can develop into an excellent defender.
The problem, though, is his fitness record. Bradley's progress has repeatedly been interrupted by injuries, with his latest setback easily the most serious of the lot. His recovery is expected to take more than a year, meaning Liverpool could be without their preferred right-back for a significant chunk of the season.
Andoni Iraola has since confirmed that Bradley is still a long way from returning to action.
Andoni Iraola's current solution for right-back is clever
Arne Slot last season decided to use Dominik Szoboszlai in the position while Bradley was out injured. He didn't trust Jeremie Frimpong in the position. Nor did he want to promote Calvin Ramsay from the academy.
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Right now, Iraola has had a different approach.
He gave the opportunity to Frimpong initially to play the first couple of games of the season but it was clear that was never going to be a solution.
Instead he has come up with a clever alternative. Ronald Araujo .
The Barcelona centre-back has proven himself an excellent option in the role, and has become an invaluable addition to the team.
But an African defender could also help Iraola.
Why Isaac Mabaya could be a solution for Liverpool
Liverpool had a really special talent in Mabaya. A couple of years ago, he was catching Jurgen Klopp's eye in pre-season and it felt like the Reds had found their back-up to Trent Alexander-Arnold .
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Unfortunately injuries have disrupted his career.
Mabaya has fallen down the pecking order but he's making a great comeback of late. The 21-year-old has been in great form for Liverpool's U21 side, and he's also been included in the Reds' Champions League and Premier League squad.
Now, Mabaya has also officially become Zimbabwean as well and in turns becomes the Reds' new African player in the squad.
After lots of approaches, which were previously rebuffed, Mabaya has finally agreed to accept Zimbabwe's international call-up. He is in their senior national team for their AFCON qualifiers, and could make his senior debut later this month.
