Arne Slot questions whether Liverpool star ‘can continue’ amid claims of ‘City fight’ for £29m successor

Head coach Arne Slot has explained why he rested Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai for his side’s match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Szoboszlai joined Liverpool as they overhauled their midfield during last year’s transfer window. They also signed Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.

Slot has altered Liverpool’s midfield setup at the start of this season. Gravenberch has been used as a No.6, while Szoboszlai and Mac Allister have often started alongside the Netherlands international.

The Liverpool boss opted to rest a couple of players for Liverpool’s trip to face Palace on Saturday afternoon. He made four changes from the side that beat Bologna 2-0 in midweek as Kostas Tsimikas, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota came in for Andy Robertson, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Szoboszlai.

Speaking before kick-off, Slot explained why he decided to select Jones ahead of Szoboszlai for the game against Palace.

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Slot said: “Curtis every time when he has come in does well. It is a good moment for Curtis to start, also because he is not going to go for international games so it is good for him to have a game as well.

“He has done very good when he has come in and Dom [Szoboszlai] is putting so, so much effort in his pressing, you wonder if he can continue doing this every three days and I think it is good for us to have more than only three midfielders. So let’s see today how Curtis is doing.”

A report in Spain has jumped the gun and is saying that Liverpool ‘will fight Man City for £29m Ukrainian playmaker Georgiy Sudakov’, who is said to ‘represent a potential solution for Szoboszlai’s inconsistency in midfield’.

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The report claims.

‘Liverpool and Manchester City are set to engage in another transfer battle, this time for Ukrainian playmaker Georgiy Sudakov . Both clubs sent scouts to watch the talented 22-year-old in the recent Champions League encounter between Shakhtar Donetsk and Atalanta.

‘Sudakov is on the radar of England’s big boys. He has caught the attention of several European football giants thanks to his technical quality and vision on the pitch.

‘For Liverpool, Sudakov represents a potential solution to Dominik Szoboszlai’s inconsistency in midfield. The Anfield outfit had previously shown interest in the Ukrainian, although negotiations fell through at the time.

‘Manchester City, meanwhile, see him as a potential successor to Kevin De Bruyne, whose form, while still high, has been limited by age and injuries.

‘Both clubs are keeping a close eye on Sudakov, and although Shakhtar failed to prevail in their recent European clash, the midfielder’s quality did not go unnoticed.’