Danny Murphy on Liverpool's Full-Back Crisis and Ronald Araujo

Danny Murphy believes Liverpool’s full-back issues run deep – and that even a permanent deal for Ronald Araujo would not solve the problem currently undermining Andoni Iraola’s side.

The idea sounds simple on paper. Sign Araujo next summer, slide him into the central defensive role Virgil van Dijk has made his own, and free up the recruitment team to chase another specialist full-back. But Murphy, speaking to GOAL in association with Snabbare, does not see it as anything like that straightforward.

“I think the club will be assessing Araujo game-in, game-out, week-to-week,” the former Liverpool midfielder said. “I don't think they'll be necessarily thinking he's the one to come in and take Van Dijk's place because of his age. I think they'll always be open-minded to what else is out there.”

The bigger concern, in his eyes, sits out wide.

For years, Liverpool’s identity has been built on flying full-backs. The system leaned heavily on them: relentless runners, high-quality delivery, and midfielders smart enough to slide across and cover when they surged on. That blend powered title challenges and European runs.

Murphy looks at the current crop and sees a very different picture.

“There’s a problem at Liverpool with the full-backs,” he said. “What Liverpool's success has thrived on over a long period is having two full-backs who are wonderfully good going forward and the team suited their style… The full-backs at the moment aren't good enough with the ball and that's a real problem.”

Modern football crowds the centre of the pitch. Teams clog up the middle, shut off passing lanes, and dare you to find solutions in the wide areas. That means full-backs see a huge amount of the ball. Liverpool’s are no different; the numbers, Murphy points out, make that clear.

The issue is what happens next.

“The end product of Frimpong and Milos Kerkez is certainly not up to the level Liverpool need,” he said. The criticism doesn’t stop at their attacking output either. “There is an argument also saying, are they good enough defensively to sacrifice that forward quality, if you like, and the answer is no. So, it is a problem. Both of them have failed, in terms of so far, let's say, in their Liverpool career.”

Jeremie Frimpong, in particular, sits at the centre of a tactical debate. He arrived with a reputation as an explosive attacking force, often used higher up the pitch rather than as a traditional right-back.

“Now, the argument for Frimpong, he never really did play as a right-back, so what was the thinking behind that? That's a fair argument and I feel for him a little bit at times,” Murphy admitted. “I'm not just digging him out. He's played the best season of his career in a different position than he's been asked to play when he's come to one of the hardest leagues in the world.”

Araujo, by contrast, brings a defender’s mindset. Calm, composed, and comfortable when asked to tuck in, he has still produced moments of quality going forward – including the clever flick to set up Dominik Szoboszlai against Atletico. Yet Murphy is adamant: that does not suddenly turn him into the kind of full-back Liverpool built their peak years around.

“I don't think, although Araujo does it really comfortably because he's got a defensive mind… generally you wouldn't class him as a marauding full-back who's going to whip crosses in and create goals,” he said.

So while a permanent move for Araujo might strengthen the back line and offer a long-term option alongside or eventually after Van Dijk, it does not address the structural flaw Murphy keeps returning to.

“I think it's a definite area for Liverpool to look at, even in January,” he concluded.

For a club whose greatest recent sides lived and died by the quality of their full-backs, that feels less like a gentle suggestion and more like a warning.