Does Nathaniel Clyne have a role at Liverpool in 2020?

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Nathaniel Clyne should return from injury this month but does he have a role at Liverpool in 2020?

Clyne suffered a nasty injury back in July in damaging his anterior cruciate ligament. Liverpool described things as a ‘straightforward rehabilitation process’, though and he should return soon.

He’s close enough that Jurgen Klopp mentioned him in his injury update, saying “Clyney is in a good way but not available”.

So we can expect Clyne, a £12.5m arrival in 2015, to be an option before too long. But it’s very debatable whether he has a role or not.

Injuries and a spell with Bournemouth limited Clyne to just seven Liverpool appearances over the last two and a half seasons. That doesn’t exactly suggest there’s a place for him but Liverpool never replaced the right-back.

Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped up to take his starting XI spot, of course. Behind him, however, there’s only Joe Gomez as genuine senior cover. Other players can play there but the likes of Jordan Henderson and James Milner are out of position when they do.

That leaves one more player: Neco Williams. The teenager looks impressive every time he puts on the shirt and is starting to look like a real option. If not now, then certainly before long.

So that’s really the choice facing Jurgen Klopp. He has options to cover Alexander-Arnold but they’re very opposite in several ways.

There’s Clyne – experienced but really the past. There’s no long-term future in the team there and he’ll require time to get back up to speed.

Then there’s Williams – there’s a big future there but he’s very inexperienced. He’ll require time, too, to get ready for the top level.

There’s no easy answer. In some ways Clyne is more reliable, particularly in important games. But will he play any important games? If not, then investing the time in Williams makes far more sense.

If there was no talented youngster waiting in the wings, space would be there for Clyne in 2020 as a backup. As it is, it’s difficult to see how or why he’d make the squad these days.

A sale, possibly as early as this month, feels inevitable.