Liverpool wonderkid set to make first team debut after Trent Alexander-Arnold injury

Arne Slot is expected to hand out another debut against Plymouth amid Trent Alexander-Arnold's injury concerns.

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The Liverpool head coach confirmed that the Reds' no.66 will not be available against Plymouth in his press conference on Friday. Slot added that Alexander-Arnold is also a doubt for the Everton game, which will take place Wednesday night.

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This is a blow for Liverpool because the Reds are not well stocked in the right-back department.

Conor Bradley is the natural back-up for the role. He played the full 90 minutes against Tottenham on Thursday night and is not expected to start the game against Plymouth, especially since he will then likely be called upon in the Merseyside derby as well.

With these factors to take into consideration and Slot expected to field a heavily rotated squad in the FA Cup, one of the club's young wonderkids could have his moment to shine and make his debut.

Why Isaac Mabaya is expected to make his Liverpool debut

One of the few right-back options for Liverpool remains Isaac Mabaya. He was actually called up to the first team squad last week against PSV Eindhoven, but did not get to make an appearance in the Champions League.

Now, he missed Liverpool's U21 game against Southampton on Friday night alongside Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha, which means he is expected to be with the first team squad, just like the aforementioned duo.

Against Plymouth, Slot will likely field a similar team to the one that took to the field against Accrington Stanley. In fact, he could make even more rotations and the side could look closer to the one that faced PSV last week.

This should give Mabaya an opportunity at right-back, considering one of Slot's only other options for the role is Jarell Quansah, who will probably occupy the centre-back position.

Joe Gomez is unlikely to be available to start this game either, having missed more than a month due to injuries.

All is pointing towards an opportunity that has been a long time coming for Mabaya.

Wind back a couple of years and during the pre-season of 2022, all the hype was around Mabaya among the academy stars to have made the step-up into Klopp's first team.

Tasked with providing cover for Alexander-Arnold, Mabaya was brilliant, and it seemed like he had a bright future ahead of him.

However, more than two years on Mabaya has had some serious back luck with injuries that have prevented his progress into the first team.

This season has been the first season since October 2022 (when he suffered his first injury) that Mabaya has finally started to get some rhythm and some regular minutes under his belt again.

Before the Southampton game, he started three matches in a row for the U21s and caught the eye.

As per Wyscout, he won seven defensive duels out of his 10 attempts against West Brom's U21 side and made seven interceptions as well. Against Palace's U21 side, he won four out of six defensive duels and made six interceptions.

Meanwhile, going forward, he completed six out of six dribble attempts in the two games and made seven progressive runs.

At 20-years-old, the England youth international who is also eligible to represent Zimbabwe, still has a really promising future ahead of him.

He's got all the traits to be a brilliant right-back in the modern game. His game intelligence is excellent as well, having been utilised in multiple positions at academy level.

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Plymouth could be a golden opportunity for him to make his mark. Just like McConnell took his chance against PSV, it could now be Mabaya's turn.

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