Sir Kenny Dalglish believes Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will find the perfect solution to his defensive injury crisis.
Serious injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have seen the pair undergo surgery before entering a recovery period that is likely to keep them on the sidelines for most of this season, while star right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is also out for the next month with a calf problem picked up against Manchester City.
It means the Reds have just one senior centre-back available in Joel Matip and to make matters even worse, stand-in centre-half Fabinho is also recovering from an injury picked up against FC Midtjylland in the Champions League last month.
Nat Phillips, who made his Premier League debut against West Ham just two weeks ago, and 19-year-old Rhys Williams, who recently filled in against Atalanta in the Champions League, have both performed admirably when called upon in the heart of defence but it remains to be seen whether they are ready to perform long-term.
Questions have been raised about whether Klopp tries to secure a free agent on a short-term deal or faces up to the 11 games Liverpool have to play before the transfer window opens in January with the options available to him.
Sir Kenny told the ECHO in an exclusive interview: "I'm trusting the manager to make the right decision - he has done so far!
"It's a really unfortunate thing, the transfer window is closed and we've picked up a few serious injuries and the likes of Thiago are still out too.
"But in Jurgen [Klopp], we trust.
"There's no problem as he will make the right decision - the two boys in Williams and Phillips did really well when they came in for the games they played.
"The manager has got options in those two but if it's possible to get a free transfer in then he might think that's the best route, but whatever he decides is the best route for Liverpool."
Klopp will hope Matip stays fit for Liverpool's next crunch Premier League clash against Leicester City and that Fabinho can return for the match against Brendan Rodgers' side next weekend.
However, the manager has both Williams and Phillips to call upon if needed and Sir Kenny gave his verdict on both player's performances so far.
He added: "It's difficult for anybody to step in, but at 19 years of age Williams didn't do too badly against Atalanta!
"He was there and stood up, the first header he cleared everybody out and made sure it was his and Nat Phillips did well in the game at Anfield as well.
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"Whether they're ready long-term it remains to be seen, but Nat was over in Germany on loan last season and did really well so maybe he is a little bit more experienced.
"As I say though, you've got a couple of choices there - they'll want to play.
"It might not be perfect timing for them because the next game is difficult against Leicester but Jurgen gets most of his decisions right and I have no doubt he'll get this one right too."
