Liverpool are flying high in the Premier League this season as they have picked up maximum points from their opening three matches.
The Reds are yet to concede a goal in the English top-flight and that is massive credit to centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
However, manager Arne Slot first paired Jarell Quansah with the experienced Van Dijk in central defence for the opening match against Ipswich Town.
The Dutch boss later took him off at half-time, replacing the 21-year-old with Konate.
Quansah has since not been featured again for Liverpool, with the centre-back remaining an unused substitute in their successes over Brentford and Manchester United.
But he was named in Ben Futcher’s first England Under-21 squad and performed impressively in their goalless draw with Northern Ireland.
When asked about Slot’s decision to take him off, Quansah said (per The Times): “Some players might go under [in that situation], but it’s a long season. It’s not like it’s happened at the end of the season and I’ve got a month off to think about it. I’ve got the whole season to try to prove myself.
“It’s better it happened now than at any other point in the season. It gives me a bit of a kick up the backside, you could say. I’ll keep grafting on the training pitch.”
Van Dijk and Konate have been excellent in central defence and they are likely to keep their first-team places over the following weeks.
The Netherlands international produced an outstanding display in their previous game at Manchester United, as he intercepted, dominated in the air and led by example.
The 33-year-old completed 95 percent of his passes, won all his aerial duels and made 11 clearances in the game.
Meanwhile, Konate was just as impressive in the Old Trafford encounter as he won all his ground duels, made four clearances and registered two tackles.
Quansah is unlikely to feature in the coming weeks but the season is very long and he will get opportunities to prove his abilities to Arne Slot.
Stats from Sofascore
