Arne Slot delighted with Liverpool star - ‘Everybody can see he is back to his best’

Arne Slot

Arne Slot has said Jarell Quansah is ‘back to his old level’ after the defender made an important second-half contribution against Wolves

The Liverpool defender was introduced at half-time in place of Ibrahima Konate

Slot admitted he feared Konate would be sent off after escaping a second booking for a foul on Matheus Cunha

Quansah put in an assured display alongside Virgil can Dijk, making several crucial interventions, including a late clearance to deny what looked to be a certain equalizer for Marshall Munetsi.

Liverpool emerged with a vital 2-1 win against Wolves that reestablished its seven-point gap ahead of second-place Arsenal

Should the Reds win the league, Sunday’s win could go down as one of the most three points of the season given the sloppy nature of their second-half display.

Quansah is among those aiming to win a first Premier League title in what has been a tough campaign under Slot.

Liverpool's no.78 ended last season by playing in all of the final six matches under Jurgen Klopp and he even forced his way into the England reckoning.

The 21-year-old then was selected in the starting XI for Slot’s first competitive match against Ipswich Town in August but was hauled off at half-time following a nervous first 45 minutes

It remains the only Premier League game Quansah has started at center-back this season, and he has been limited to just six league appearances under the new manager.

Game time has mainly been reserved for the domestic cup competitions, although Quansah also put in several nervous displays in the Reds’ Carabao Cup run

Despite that, performances have improved of late and the academy graduate looked confident in the recent games against Lille, PSV Eindhoven and Plymouth Argyle.

Slot

“I think everybody has seen recently that he did really well and I see in training sessions that he is back to being the same Jarell that he was in pre-season”

“I think he had a bit of a hard time after being taken off at Ipswich and the first two or three games after that, when he came in, was also a bit of a struggle.

“And he's just showing in the last two or three months, on the training pitch but also when he comes in, that he's back to his old level.”

Quansah’s return to form comes at the perfect time for Liverpool, who is without Joe Gomez following the injury he sustained at Plymouth last week.

Along with Van Dijk and Konate, Quansah is the only recognised center-back option in the squad, although Watru Endo has deputized in that role on several occasions this season.