Liverpool defender who is 'so impressive' given last chance to save his career

Liverpool's first-team squad have been under a magnifying glass for some time now.

Ever since they finished fifth in the Premier League last term, questions have been asked about whether Liverpool actually have what it takes to start challenging for silverware again.

At the moment, it really doesn't feel like they do as they've managed to lose three games across all competitions thus far with one of those defeats coming against Fenerbahce in the Champions League.

This lack of form has forced fans to question whether the over £150 million that was spent on improving the Reds' ranks was worth it or not.

In fact, some have even started to ask for new players to be brought in to try and help them out.

However, since the club still have so many players among their ranks, they have one or two decisions to make before anything concrete can be done.

So, the fact that this Liverpool star is now down to his last chance at saving his career is rather intriguing.

At the moment, Ronald Araujo has Liverpool's right-back position locked down.

The Uruguayan's natural position is as a centre-back but, thanks to the Reds' lack of depth at full-back, the 27 years old's main position has been at right-back.

This obviously isn't the first season that Araujo has played in that position as, there have also been several occasions when he was used there by Barcelona.

And, since Jeremie Frimpong is performing rather poorly, Araujo has no competition, which makes his job much easier.

However, in the New Year, Conor Bradley is expected to return from his injury which will add an extra option for Liverpool in defence.

And, since Spanish outlet Diario Sport have now confirmed that Liverpool will wait until the end of the current season to make a decision on Araujo, Bradley now only has around six months to prove why he should be the Reds' starting right-back.

"At Anfield, they are very happy with the Uruguayan, but it is a significant financial undertaking, so they don't intend to make a final decision until the end of the season, despite reports that they would like to finalize the deal now," they wrote.

"If it were today, that would be the feeling, but there's still a long season ahead and no one wants to rush into anything.

"Let's not forget that Van Dijk and Joe Gomez could leave this year, leaving the center-back position, a crucial one in England, very vulnerable. In fact, he was voted Liverpool's Player of the Month for October.

"The player is regaining his confidence thanks to consistent playing time and has scored important goals for his new team."

If Bradley wasn't constantly side-lined due to injury, Liverpool would be having no problems at right-back.

At his best, the Northern Irishman is easily one of the Premier League's best attacking right-backs with Pep Guardiola even confessing his love for him in the past.

The defender, who has been described as "so impressive" by Chris Sutton is always one of the first names on Liverpool's team sheet when available.

However, with his contract set to expire in 2029, he's got some serious work to do if he wants to extend his stay.

And, the next six months could be crucial to that.

By June 2027, Liverpool will have needed to make a decision on Araujo and whether they want to make his deal permanent or not.

If they do, there's no chance of Bradley making his way back into Iraola's plans but, if, upon his return he can outperform the Uruguayan, he could find himself back on track to getting offered a new deal.

Nobody knows what the future has in store for Liverpool but, whenever Bradley returns to action, he needs to make the most of it and save his career.