Liverpool fans will be considering themselves lucky that they haven’t been monumentally rocked by the absence of Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho so early on in the season. The Reds will be looking to retain their Premier League title and losing the Dutchman looked like it would have a detrimental effect on their reigning term.
But in a miraculous turn of both luck and good form, stand-in defenders Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams have done a superb job of keeping the ship afloat. Joe Gomez has arguably been one of Jurgen Klopp’s most important players during this time, stepping into the shoes of natural leader van Dijk.
Teenaged centre-back Williams has massively stepped up to the plate and is already shifting his attention to his future at Anfield.
Fighting talk from Rhys Williams
Following his performance against Atalanta in Liverpool’s midweek clash, the 19-year-old expressed his delight over making his debut Champions League appearance. He went on to thank Klopp for his recent flurry of opportunities and says he is determined to repay the manager’s faith.
“I want to become an irreplaceable piece of this side. It’s a great team with great players,” Williams said post-match (via Liverpool ECHO).
Such fighting talk despite only making his senior debut this season is something the manager simply cannot ignore. After Trent Alexander-Arnold’s astonishing success story, it’s inspired many other academy graduates to follow down a similar path.
Whilst this paints a vivid picture of what a workhorse Williams is, it could be bad news for Gomez moving forwards. Even with his hard graft these last couple of weeks, the nature of football is a cruel one and players get dropped to make room for new up and coming talents.
Should Williams prove to be an option that Klopp simply cannot ignore, there’s a big chance he could edge out the England international for his space alongside van Dijk in the future.
Alexander-Arnold himself has already been impressed by the 6 ft 5 powerhouse. Speaking to LFCTV GO, the full-back lauded his teammate’s ability to step up.
“We’ve got an amazing squad,” the Merseyside local said. “You’ve seen Rhys Williams stepping in and doing a world-class job, at a young age with such little experience. He’s got a bright future ahead.”
In other news, Liverpool given boost ahead of potential Ozan Kabak signing…