Alan Shearer names undroppable Liverpool player that Arne Slot can't ignore

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Liverpool manager Arne Slot(Image: Getty Images)

Alan Shearer reckons Arne Slot cannot afford to drop Hugo Ekitike right now.

That is despite Liverpool boasting another world-class striker in Alexander Isak, who is still waiting for his maiden Premier League start.

Both forwards joined the Reds for hefty fees during the summer transfer window, yet they haven't shared the pitch simultaneously.



Isak was thrown straight into the XI to face Atletico Madrid in midweek before Ekitike returned to the starting line-up - and scored - for the 2-1 win over Everton on Saturday.

Questions remain over Slot's tactical blueprint and how frequently the pair will feature together, but Shearer insists Ekitike has earned his place in the starting XI.

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"It's not a bad option, is it?" Shearer said on NBC Sports.

"Having said that, at the minute, there's no way I would, if I was Ekitike, there's no way I'd be thinking I deserve to be left out this side with the form that I'm in, the goals that I'm scoring.

"He can't leave him out.

He had the license to go and roam and get forward.

"Here, to me it seems as if he's caught in two minds whether he's going to go, whether he's going to stay and help protect that with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate."

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Liverpool are set to face Southampton in the League Cup next, with Slot expected to make significant changes to his starting XI.

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