Michael Owen has predicted that Trent Alexander-Arnold will be the Liverpool player who is most adversely affected by the loss of Virgil van Dijk.
The Dutch centre-back is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after he suffered ACL damage as a result of Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford's horror tackle in Saturday's Merseyside Derby.
The Reds are now left with just Joe Gomez and Joel Matip as the only natural centre-backs left in the first-team, although Fabinho is also capable of filling in if needed.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool's Champions League game against Ajax, Owen stated his belief that Alexander-Arnold may have to slightly curb his attacking flair going forward during Van Dijk's absence.
"I think Trent could be one player who misses Van Dijk more than anyone," Owen said.
"Because of course he's an attack minded player. It's astonishing going forward.
"Defensively there are some question marks at times and Van Dijk would mop them up."
In spite of the huge blow of Van Dijk's absence, Owen does still think his former side can have a successful season anyway.
"I think a lot of people - rightly so - are thinking, is this the season where it falls apart now?" he added.
"Because there’s no doubt about it, in my mind, that he’s the best centre-half in the world. You’re gonna miss that.
"His presence is calming, everything about him is top-class and it’s a huge blow.It’s not just for a couple of months, it’s looking like a season.
"However, once the dust settles, get tonight out of the way, all of a sudden, you start looking at them and thinking they’ve still got some amazing players."
Jurgen Klopp chose to opt for Gomez and Fabinho as his starting centre-back pairing against Ajax, and it remains to be seen how they get on in Amsterdam.
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