Liverpool: 5 Young Replacements for Skrtel

Liverpool look set to loan Martin Skrtel to their former manager—Rafa Benitez at Napoli—and now find themselves reliant on largely untested reservists for depth at the back.

Liverpool fans should expect Daniel Agger and Kolo Toure to get the bulk of the starts, so a Skrtel replacement should come ready but needn't be a 30-match regular fixture in midfield.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the better young prospects available to Brendan Rodgers, with the condition that they have more first team experience than Sebastian Coates or Martin Kelly. 

Ezequiel Muñoz

Twenty-two-year-old Ezequiel Muñoz is the first on our list, currently plying his trade in recently relegated Italian club Palermo.

His play was certainly not to blame, however, logging two MotM performances en route to an average WhoScored? rating of 7.1 over 29 starts. 

Muñoz shows particular ability in the air—his three won duels per game puts him in the top 10 among Serie A defenders, and his average of three tackles per game puts him on par with some of the most talked-about defenders in Serie A, like Giorgio Chiellini and Hugo Campagnaro.

Ivan Piris

Twenty-four-year-old Ivan Piris is more of a right-back, but he has featured at centre-back before and performed admirably—averaging a WhoScored? rating of 7.13 in the position.

Should a positional change not suit the player, he can at least provide solid cover for Glen Johnson, which would free up Martin Kelly and Andre Wisdom to vie for the spot at centre-back.

Piris is a choice worth considering for that positional versatility, but his tackling and interception abilities stand on their own. He averages more tackles and interceptions per match than recent Juventus defensive purchase—and much-lauded wunderkind—Angelo Ogbonna.

Kurt Zouma

Eighteen-year-old Kurt Zouma was a big part of AS Saint-Etienne's push up the Ligue 1 table last year.

His size and build give him a distinct advantage in the air and with the physical demands of the position, while he's also shown a great eye for the pass, successfully completing 86 percent of the 800 passes he attempted last season.

He is also quite composed for such a young defender, earning only one booking in 18 starts last campaign.

Samuel Umtiti

Nineteen-year-old Samuel Umtiti is a prime example of the kind of player Liverpool need: young, reliable, good on the ball and with a decent amount of first team experience.  

His passing accuracy of 80 percent is a must for any potential Liverpool player, given the demands of manager Brendan Rodgers' system.

Umtiti also brings something else to the table—positional versatility. Half of his 30 starts for Ligue 1 side Lyon were at centre-back, with the other half at left-back. 

Solid defensive abilities, a huge upside, and the potential to act as cover for an injury-prone Jose Enrique make Umtiti a particularly enticing option.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos

Kyriakos Papadopoulos is looking to make serious waves as he finally looks fit after starting only 12 matches last season.

The 21-year-old Greece international is a physically dominating presence in the box and comes with a surprising level of experience for a player of his age—153 matches according to Transfermarkt.

His passing is also highly accurate, nearly reaching 90 percent. 

One major cause for concern is his composure, but in terms of raw ability and experience, there are few more promising young prospects in Europe.