Ben Davies must start for Liverpool against Sheffield United on Sunday.
Davies, who was the Reds’ first scalp of the January transfer window, is yet to make his Liverpool debut. The former Preston North End man signed for a reported fee of £1.6m as a solution to Liverpool’s persistent injury troubles at the back.
Davies is known for his ball-playing ability, reading of the game, and his ability to make the right challenge. This was pointed out by manager Jurgen Klopp when Davies signed on deadline day.
While speaking to the club’s media team, Klopp said: “He’s a really good footballer, looks like a proper leader in this Preston team, good in challenges, looks football smart, can play different positions.”
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Despite injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Fabinho, and even Jordan Henderson now, Davies hasn’t got his chance to showcase his skill set yet.
The Englishman has featured on the bench twice, the first being against the unconvincing loss to Brighton, and the other in the embarrassing defeat to Merseyside rivals Everton. Both these fixtures were at Anfield, so his first away trip will be to Bramall Lane on Sunday.
When Jordan Henderson was forced off the pitch in last week’s derby, Jurgen chose Nat Phillips over Davies to replace the skipper at the 30-minute mark.
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Fabinho will only have his first training session on Saturday, so a place in the starting eleven will probably come a bit too soon for him. This leaves Davies, Phillips, Kabak, and Rhys Williams as the only feasible options to start.
Here are my three reasons why Davies must be picked from the get-go against Sheffield United.