Given the attacking threat he posed, losing Trent Alexander-Arnold was always going to affect Liverpool when he moved to Real Madrid.

The right-back scored 23 goals and 92 assists in 354 appearances for the club and Slot has struggled to fill the gap.

It was thought Jeremie Frimpong would be first choice, given his £29.5m arrival in the summer, but the Dutchman has been competing for minutes with Conor Bradley and midfielder Szoboszlai.

That right flank has been where Liverpool have been the most exposed, with 38.1% of attacks coming down that third.

Frimpong and Bradley are both full-backs who like to push forward, but that means they often leave space behind that is exploited during counter-attacks, while Salah’s lack of involvement in tracking back leaves them even more exposed.

Chelsea’s winner against Liverpool on 4 October was the result of an overload down that side, while it was Szoboszlai who, after dropping into the right-back role, allowed Matheus Cunha to run in behind and earn the corner that led to Manchester United’s winner on Sunday.

“The right-back situation is a mess,” former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.

“Szoboszlai has been their best midfielder, so playing him there kills him. And Frimpong, I don’t care what anyone says, how can you spend that money on a right-back who can’t really play there? It’s bonkers.”

Former Reds full-back Warnock said: “Conor Bradley was always going to be first-choice this season.

“But he is inconsistent. People will understand now how good Trent was and how consistent. Frimpong was signed as a utility player, not a defender. He is not a defender.”