Szoboszlai jokes he would have made Gerrard play at right-back

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai joked that Steven Gerrard would have had to play at right-back if the pair had been team-mates.

During an interview with TNT Sports, Gerrard asked the Hungary international whether they could have played in the same team.

“Do you think we could have played in the same team?” Gerrard said.

“I think so. Then I would have played as a number 10, and you as a right-back,” Szoboszlai replied.

The exchange brought a light-hearted tone to the interview, with Szoboszlai turning the question around on one of Liverpool’s most celebrated former players.

Szoboszlai is primarily a central midfielder, but he has regularly been used at full-back before the current campaign. His versatility has meant he has had to operate in a wider defensive position on a number of occasions, despite his natural role being in central midfield.

The 25-year-old has played in three Premier League matches during the current campaign and has scored one goal.

His answer to Gerrard was based on the idea that the two players could have formed a midfield partnership, but that their roles would not have been equal. Szoboszlai claimed the attacking midfield position traditionally associated with a number 10, while assigning Gerrard to the right side of the defence.

Gerrard spent his career at Liverpool and was renowned for his ability in midfield. Szoboszlai, meanwhile, has also been asked to contribute in different areas of the pitch, including as a full-back, despite being considered a central midfielder.

That contrast allowed Szoboszlai to make his point with a joke rather than offer a straightforward assessment of how the pair might have lined up together.

The Hungarian’s latest Premier League involvement has so far produced one goal from three appearances this season. His positional flexibility remains part of his role, with the midfielder having previously been required to play as a full-back before the current campaign.

The interview gave Szoboszlai the opportunity to respond directly to Gerrard, and he did so by suggesting that the Liverpool great would have been the player moved out of midfield.