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Liverpool’s competition for places next season could just be stronger than ever before.

The Reds have spent close to £300m this summer and the pick of the bunch has been the arrival of Florian Wirtz for a British record transfer of £116m.

Although it is only pre-season, the German has looked that good that the fee paid still seems somewhat of a bargain, with the 22-year-old expected to play a huge amount of minutes next season.

His arrival will, of course, mean there are some winners and losers in the current squad as some will thrive due to what he will add, while others could see their minutes significantly reduced.

One player in particular appeared as if he would miss out next season and have a rather disappointing campaign, but pre-season has shown that he might just be able to make it work, even if that does mean playing elsewhere on the pitch.

Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Dominik Szoboszlai has been a key player for Liverpool for a few years now, with the Hungarian holding down the number 10 position in the squad.

So, when Wirtz’s move to Anfield was complete, his future looked a little uncertain as there was no chance the Reds would pay that much for a player to not play him in his preferred position.

That left many to believe that Szoboszlai will get very limited minutes next season, but based on how Arne Slot has been using him over the summer, that simply will not be the case.

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The 24-year-old has moved back into the number eight position, meaning he is more of a box-to-box midfielder instead of his main focus being on attacking output.

This suits Szoboszlai much better as his work-rate, energy and stamina are utilised to good effect, with his traits being a perfect balance to help both defend and attack.

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The fact he plays a little further back also helps his attacking output too as he arrives later into the box or is even on the edge of it, meaning he can unleash one of his trademark long-shots that cause goalkeepers real problems.

He also has more time on the ball to pick a pass rather than being forced to try flicks and tricks, something Wirtz is much more capable at doing.

Overall, a slight adjustment has actually turned him into a better footballer who looks a lot more comfortable than before, something that can be used to great effect as the Reds aim to defend their title.

Despite a lot of the focus being on the attack this summer, and now a lot of it shifting onto the defence, the strength Liverpool have in midfield has gone under the radar.

Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz will likely be the preferred three, but Slot is not short of options in case he wants to switch things up.

He also has Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Szoboszlai at his disposal, while not forgetting the youngsters such as Trey Nyoni and Stefan Bajcetic.

Slot will certainly come under fire next year for some of his decisions, but if one thing is for sure, the midfield could be what wins Liverpool games at points next season.