Liverpool fans told to keep an eye on incredible centre-back who could join first-team

Liverpool fans have been told to keep an eye on an incredible wonderkid who could link-up with the first-team soon.

At the moment, Arne Slot is left in a precarious situation. Not only have his side lost three games in a row, he's also lost his fourth choice centre-back for the rest of the season in Giovanni Leoni.

Meanwhile, Ibrahima Konate has been forced to return to Anfield from the France squad due to an injury. There's optimism the Frenchman's injury is not a serious one, but it does leave Liverpool very vulnerable.

With Konate potentially ruled out for the game against Manchester United at the weekend, Liverpool could have just Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk as options at the back.

Wataru Endo and maybe Ryan Gravenberch could fill in that position, but then that leaves Liverpool's midfield options with gaps.

So, the best solution might be to promote from within.

Writing in The Athletic, Liverpool reporter James Pearce was asked whether there were any centre-backs worth keeping an eye on from the club's academy and who could join the first-team soon.

Pearce answered honestly and said that he doesn't think there's anyone knocking on the door at the moment. However, there might be a few who could join the first-team in the near future.

"I wouldn’t say there’s anyone really knocking on the door currently, but there are a few with potential who could put themselves in contention if they continue to make progress in the youth ranks," Pearce said.

Among the players Pearce mentioned was Carter Pinnington:

"Another name to keep an eye on is Carter Pinnington. The teenager from Wirral has been at the academy since the under-sevens and signed his first pro contract last year."

Now Pinnington is an incredible talent and someone who has been very highly rated at academy level and has really raised his levels in the current campaign.

This season he has been working closely alongside U21 head-coach Rob Page, who has been brought in to help Liverpool's young stars make the next step into adult football.

In order to help Pinnington, Page even played him as a holding-midfielder in pre-season to get him to be more comfortable on the ball.

He's caught the eye in the Reds' most recent Premier League 2 fixture, winning seven defensive duels out of seven contests and seven aerial duels out of seven as well.

Capable of playing as a right-back and as a left-back, Pinnington feels like the next in line for a first-team promotion from the U21 team.

With the club's depth in the centre-back roles lacking, perhaps a debut could even been on the cards for the 18-year-old. Especially in the League Cup in a couple of weeks' time.

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