Neco Williams played left-back for Wales on Wednesday. It comes seven months after Jurgen Klopp tried him there for Liverpool.
Could Neco Williams had a future at left-back after all? The chances seemed dead in the water last July.
Jurgen Klopp tried him there at Brighton as Liverpool saw out last season. Tariq Lamptey terrorised the teenager, however, resulting in Andy Robertson coming on for Williams at half-time.
And that was a real shame. We’d written before that Williams may have a future there.
He’s quite two-footed and comfortable going inside or outside of a defender. And with Liverpool not having backup at the time, it made sense.
Williams could gain extra experience covering two positions in the squad. It saves Liverpool cash, too, as they wouldn’t need to sign anyone.
As it was, though, Williams wouldn’t go back in the role. Liverpool then signed Kostas Tsimikas ahead of this season, seemingly ending the experiment.
Only, here we are, seven months later, and Williams is forcing a rethink.
Versatile
Wales started Williams as a left-back against Belgium on Wednesday. It was more of a left-wingback, admittedly, as they played with three centre-backs.
It meant he came up against top players, too – Thomas Meunier and Kevin De Bruyne. And yet, Williams came away earning rave reviews from fans.
That will make Liverpool wonder – is there potential here, after all?
Reports claim Klopp isn’t sold on Tsimikas, after all. Not that you really need a report to tell you that. The Greek has only played 135 minutes across the Premier League and Champions League.
And if Liverpool decide he doesn’t have a future at the club this summer, perhaps they could try Williams again. We know they like him and at just 19, there’s enormous potential there.
He just held his own against the team ranked no.1 in the world – it doesn’t get much more promising. Williams might just be the dual option Klopp once thought he could be.
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