3) Joe Allen, Lucas Leiva or Emre Can
Assuming that Brendan Rodgers pushes forward with his favoured 4-3-3 formation – with Jordan Henderson and James Milner the central pairing in the middle of the park – that leaves only the midfield anchor role to be filled. It will be taken by one of these three men, who all have their respective plus points and drawbacks. Allen has a lot of ability but hasn’t shown it consistently enough in a Liverpool shirt. Lucas has experience on his side but has struggled with injuries over the last couple of years. Can is still a relative unknown in midfield and hasn’t travelled with the tour squad due to international commitments; but his potential is virtually limitless.
