Phil Thompson claims two Liverpool players have given Arne Slot a ‘headache’ during pre-season

Add as preferred source on Google

Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has suggested that two Liverpool players could give Arne Slot something to think about after what happened in pre-season.

The Reds have impressed greatly this summer having just returned from the United States with three wins from three against Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United, with Erik Ten Hag praising Slot and Liverpool after their result in South Carolina.

With Liverpool being cautious with who they sign this summer, activity has been slow in the transfer market, yet pre-season results seem to suggest that additions might not be needed if the Anfield side are to challenge for the Premier League title.

And Thompson believes two players could now give Slot some food for thought after pre-season.

Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg performances could cause Liverpool headache

Speaking on TalkSport, Thompson noted how the displays of Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg in pre-season could give Slot a selection headache for the new season, with both youngsters impressing in the United States.

The duo have both been linked with moves away from Liverpool this summer, with Bologna interested in Van den Berg to replace Riccardo Calafiori as Carvalho was rumoured with a permanent move to Hull City at the end of last season.

However, this summer might have just changed Liverpool’s plans of offloading the youngsters, and Thompson seems to think that Carvalho and Van den Berg could be in with a shot of breaking into Slot’s first-team plans.

Thompson said: “You look at all the players that he has got. There are players who have come back in there like Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg, who have done very, very well on the pre-season tour. Those players, he is probably looking at and going ‘oh my goodness, these can be a bit of a headache here.’”

Slot needs to give Carvalho and Van den Berg a chance

Pre-season has gone better than many would have expected for Liverpool, with the task of replacing Jurgen Klopp something that virtually everyone would agree is an impossible job given the German’s immense success on Merseyside.

Yet Slot has impressed in pre-season, and in Carvalho and Van den Berg, the Dutch coach would be wise to give the pair a chance in the upcoming campaign given their impressive performances in the United States on tour.

With Liverpool losing the likes of Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara, Carvalho and Van den Berg could be brought in to replace these former mainstays in what will be the next generation for the Reds, which under Slot, could be as exciting as the times under Klopp.