SORRY Arne Slot denies midfielder his rightful game time

Liverpool made hard work of their FA Cup third-round assignment against League One Barnsley on Monday night.

Arne Slot named a strong-looking side for the clash at Anfield but the game wasn’t made safe until Florian Wirtz scored in the 84th minute to make it 3-1.

Having earlier led through goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong, the Premier League champions were pegged back in the 40th minute.

That goal had a lot to do with Szoboszlai - whose ill-advised backheel inside his own area permitted Adam Phillips the chance to score.

A nervy Anfield could only watch on as Liverpool failed to break down their opponents - and Slot can be very thankful that Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike stuck late on to make the game safe.

Trey Nyoni only got a few minutes against Barnsley

Fans may well have expected Slot to rotate the lineup a little more than he did on the night. With the Merseysiders playing nine matches in January it’s a packed schedule and many first-team players need as much rest as they can get.

But the Dutch tactician opted to use Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones as his midfield trio in spite of the calibre of opposition. That meant more frustration for certain young players - including Trey Nyoni who might have even expected to start.

The last time the England youth was named in the starting XI by Slot was back in October when Liverpool were put out of the EFL Cup by Crystal Palace.

Since then he’s barely had any minutes at all - despite Liverpool’s midfield being affected by injuries and looking out on their feet on occasion.

Overall Nyoni has played five matches for the senior team this season - requiring tune-ups at UEFA Youth League and Premier League 2 level to keep him ticking over.

Arne Slot feeling sorry for Trey Nyoni

The 18-year-old signed a pro deal at the end of last season but like Rio Ngumoha has been restricted in his impact under Slot.

The head coach references Nyoni after the game - admitting he felt sorry for the former Leicester youth who made his first-team debut during Jurgen Klopp’s final season in charge.

“I feel really sorry for Trey because maybe it was my mistake but at 2-1, I thought I had to make the substitutions to win the game instead of giving a young player who is training so hard every single day and is such a big talent the playing time he might deserve,” he told LFC TV.

“But I thought let's bring Ryan [Gravenberch] in first and that all had to do with us conceding the 2-1 because usually a game like this should go to three and then maybe more.

“But we made it difficult for ourselves to concede the 2-1 and then the team gets belief again, they defend even better than they did at 2-0. Not a time, easy goal given away when we were 2-0 up.”

Will Slot EVER use Nyoni?

This doesn’t bode well for Nyoni for the rest of the season at least. If Slot doesn’t see fit to start him - or even give him more than a few minutes against a League One team - what chance has he got to play in the Champions League or Premier League?

The time to play Nyoni was on Monday as there is little chance of Slot risking him through the rest of the campaign.

Maybe the time is right for a loan move for the midfield patroller. Nyoni is considered a first-team squad member but has only set foot on the field five times in total this season.

At his age he requires football above all else - otherwise his development risks being stunted. Slot has shown a curious reluctance to trust the academy talents provided to him this season - and that again is emphasised in his treatment of Nyoni.

Liverpool have evidently got high hopes for the midfielder - but he needs to be given more chances to deliver on his potential.

🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas home range

👉🏻 A new centre-back is COMING to Liverpool

👉🏻 Liverpool finally replace Trent Alexander-Arnold with brilliant playmaker

👉🏻 Centre-back confirms he's ready to join Liverpool