OPINION
Liverpool fans finally got a first glimpse of 18-year-old starlet Rafa Camacho at the weekend as the youngster entered the fray in the final moments of their 4-3 win over Crystal Palace.
The Portuguese flyer may not have been on the pitch very long but he still managed to impress Jurgen Klopp with a crucial tackle on a rampaging Wilfried Zaha.
And, with the first-team struggling with several injury problems at the moment, Camacho may now be set for a real chance in the first-team environment with Klopp ready to test the youngster.
As reported by the Evening Standard, Klopp is currently fretting over the fitness of Fabinho, who limped off late on against Palace at the weekend.
His concerns over the Brazilian are compounded by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ongoing knee issue, Joe Gomez’s broken leg, and a suspension for James Milner.
All this means that Klopp is seriously struggling for options on the right side of defence, and with Camacho impressing on his Premier League debut, there is no reason to think he is not next in line to fill in there.
“We have to come through this situation. Tell me a player who can play right-back and other positions as well better than our boys like Rafa can do?,” said Klopp after the Palace win.
Those comments even further emphasise the fact that Camacho is currently high in Klopp’s thinking, which suggests that the 18-year-old could even end up starting their next Premier League match against Leicester next Wednesday.
Klopp will not likely risk Fabinho if there is any concern over his fitness, and his faith in Camacho and his other youngsters mean a start is now looking a real possibility.
Obviously we will know more as the week progresses, but rarely-seen dazzler Camacho could well be set for the biggest moment of his career so far with a first Premier League start.
