Liverpool could be forced into Dominik Szoboszlai change as transfer reality bites

The speed at which Liverpool completed their surprise move for Dominik Szoboszlai in the summer was almost matched by the swift manner in which the midfielder began imposing himself at Anfield.

Following a relatively subdued pre-season programme - not helped by a niggling injury that forced him out of one friendly - expectations were cautious at the start of the season for Szoboszlai, with Alexis Mac Allister having greater enthused with his summer outings.

But Liverpool's testing start to the campaign of a trip to Chelsea followed by being reduced to 10 men against both Bournemouth and Newcastle United provided a showcase for the Hungarian midfielder to step up and assume extra responsibility. When the going got tough, Szoboszlai got going.

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By the time he was smashing in the opening goal of a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa, the Kop had been won over, with subsequent performances, culminating with two assists against Nottingham Forest last month, making him one of the success stories of the transfer window.

Since then, though, there has been a notable dip in form. He was sufficiently under-par in the 1-1 draw at Luton Town earlier this month to be replaced midway through the second half - ending his 100% record in the Premier League since arriving at Anfield.

He made negligible impact a few days later as a half-time substitute in the Europa League loss at Toulouse, and while he was better in the home win over Brentford, on Saturday at Manchester City he was hooked with almost 20 minutes still remaining and Liverpool chasing a game from which they