Micah Richards has cast some doubt over how quickly Liverpool summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai will adapt to the demands of Premier League football.
The Merseysiders are set to begin their Premier League campaign with one of the thinnest squads in the English top-flight following the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.
“Szoboszlai is a good player, I just don’t know if he can deal with the pace of the league. I think he’s going to be a slow burner,” the former Manchester City star spoke on The Rest Is Football podcast (via The Boot Room).
The former RB Leipzig ace had been brought in alongside Alexis Mac Allister to complement a midfield many expected would still contain the club’s captain and specialist number six.
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With a potentially completely new-look midfield three (or box four) set to grace Stamford Bridge in six days’ time, however, Richards’ concerns are entirely valid.
That’s not to take aim at our latest recruit but rather expose the need for our recruitment team to expedite our business in the market.
Romeo Lavia appears the most likely option to follow our Hungarian international (on a reported £120,000-a-week, according to Capology) through the doors of the AXA training centre – an addition that must be considered a minimum requirement.
That may not entirely alleviate the pressure on Szoboszlai’s shoulders, though it’s sure to make our midfield department to tick far better this term as opposed to life with only Stefan Bacjetic (highly talented as he is) and Tyler Morton competing for the holding midfield role.
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