Liverpool starlet reveals where he wants to develop after Klopp admission

Liverpool starlet Ki-Jana Hoever has revealed that he would prefer to play at right-back than centre-back, after Jurgen Klopp admitted he was torn between the two roles.

The Dutch defender made his Liverpool debut last January in the FA Cup, coming on as a centre-back in place of Dejan Lovren as the Reds were knocked out of the competition by Wolves.

Hoever has been given further starts in cup competitions this season, including in the EFL Cup against MK Dons, a game in which he scored his first professional goal.

That game saw him play as a right-back, rather than centrally – a position he reclaimed in the quarter-final defeat to Aston Villa in December.

Whether Hoever will develop into a right-back or centre-back in the long-term remains unclear, but the 18-year-old has now hinted at which he would prefer.

Asked in an Instagram Q&A which was his favoured position between the two roles, Hoever revealed his preference was to play on the right.

That role would allow him to contribute more in the attacking phase of the game, something he would relish given his occasional appearances further forward for the Under-23 side.

 

Jurgen Klopp had previously admitted that he was struggling to decide between which role he wanted Hoever to develop into.

“There is no reason to decide his long-term position now,” he said in September. “He can play both.

“For now, the full-back is a little bit better for him in the moment. We have to see how he develops physically, playing in the centre is very demanding and you have to be physically 100% ready.

“He has the speed and the passing, his crossing can be improved which will be useful from the full-back position.

“That has to be more natural, his desire to go in the right direction, open up when you control a pass and you see the pitch. It is normal. If they couldn’t improve any more that would be really strange. They have the most time and hopefully we can use them again.”