Taking a peek at Aaron Long’s Wikipedia and Transfermarkt pages, it’s hard to miss the glaring fact that the USA captain has effectively only been playing ‘professional’ football since 2017.
The 28-year-old spent a good part of his early career moving between the reserves of various MLS sides, before cementing himself as the first-choice centre-back for the New York Red Bulls four years ago.
Some might reasonably question Liverpool’s interest in the defender due to his status as a late bloomer.
However, with Joel Matip potentially facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines and the club awaiting a further update on the full extent of Fabinho’s injury, the Reds can’t afford to be hugely picky at the current moment in time.
That being said, the solution to our current defensive crisis is still, as of yet, undecided, with a number of options being explored close to the January transfer window deadline.
Given that the MLS has been suspended until April, Long would be a particularly ideal stop-gap signing on paper.
We’d expect Jurgen Klopp to look elsewhere first, of course, with the German often reluctant to bring in players who won’t stick around for the long-term project.
I see nothing in this, because good players (especially defenders) are often overlooked in the United States. I could go on for pages about why.