Danny Ings has admitted that he was shocked to see Liverpool start with Jordan Henderson in central defence last night on Sky Sports, during their Monday Night Football coverage.
Ings scored the only goal of the night against his former club, as he provided Southampton with a 1-0 victory over Jurgen Klopp’s men.
And Ings admits that he was surprised when he found out that Henderson would be marking him at the back for Liverpool.
“I actually was, yeah. I was very surprised,” he said. “They have such a strong squad they have players who can play in different roles. So we still had to be focused because he’s a top player and a top pro.”
Henderson didn’t look entirely comfortable in his new role, and even admitted after the game that he found it difficult.
Klopp’s decision to go with Henderson at the back really highlights just how short of options Liverpool are in defence, though.
With Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk out, Liverpool’s options at the back are severely depleted.
Klopp could have gone for Nathaniel Phillips or Rhys Williams, but the pair are both inexperienced and haven’t yet forced their way into the starting line-up on a regular basis.
It now remains to be seen whether Liverpool will bring in a central defender in January, or whether Klopp will back his current squad to cope.
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