Liverpool fans have been left divided after Arne Slot made a surprise tactical tweak in a behind-closed-doors pre-season friendly.
The Premier League champions kicked off their pre-season schedule with a 4-0 win over Preston and then continued preparations for the new campaign with a behind-closed-doors friendly against Stoke City.
Though the friendly did take place under wraps, some details around the game did emerge.
The Reds ran out 5-0 winners at the AXA Training Centre, with Darwin Nunez bagging a hat-trick and Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa also on target.
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Record signing Florian Wirtz was handed a start, with the teamsheet leaked online by journalist Ben Pescod and many believing that Luis Diaz is on the move after he wasn't included.
But eyebrows were also raised when it came to light that Slot had made a drastic positional change for one of his stars.
According to Ian Doyle, the chief Reds writer for the Liverpool Echo, midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai deputised at right-back for the clash.
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The Hungarian was a key cog in the midfield three for Slot's men as they won the league but with Wirtz as a No.10 and Curtis Jones and Trey Nyoni behind, Szoboszlai played in the backline, with recognised right-backs Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong on the bench for the game.
Liverpool fans were split as to whether Szoboszlai could be an option in the position during the season, with some likening him to Real Madrid's Federico Valverde and others against the experiment.
One fan on X commented: "Can imagine he’d be quite a good right back."
A second said: "Big fan of just getting as many as your favourite lads on the pitch, like me on Footy Manager."
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A third wrote: "Most versatile player I've seen in a long time. Think I've seen him play everything but CB/GK."
But a fourth said: "Hell no he must play dm."
Dominik Szoboszlai has played the role before
At times last season Slot had his full-backs inverting into midfield, with Trent Alexander-Arnold having the perfect profile to do so.
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Szoboszlai would appear to have a similar suitability for the role with his range of passing and energy and he has played there once before.
In fact, he played at right-back for previous club RB Leipzig in a DFB Pokal fixture and registered two assists, with his teammate Benjamin Henrichs calling him "Dani Alves" after the display.
Liverpool are heading to the Far East for their pre-season tour, taking on AC Milan in Hong Kong and Yokohama FM at their Nissan Stadium facility four days later.
They then play out a double header against Athletic Club before the Community Shield against Crystal Palace at Wembley on 10 August.
Josh Lawless