Victor Munoz has been a pleasant surprise for Liverpool supporters who may never have heard of him until the Reds triggered his release clause to buy him from Osasuna in June.

The 23-year-old was not exactly a household name, but, fast, young and well-priced, he looked like being exactly the kind of under the radar addition Liverpool have had success with in the last 10 years. It is early days, but Munoz is coming good on that promise already.

Munoz could be transformed into a right-back

Though it was the first time he had been deliberately moved to right-back, Munoz has already shown off his defensive capabilities to Liverpool in previous games this season.

With Ronald Araujo tucking into more of a right centre-back position, the former Real Madrid man has been forced to play as an auxiliary right wing-back, dropping in to help Araujo against pacey wingers.

It has not always worked, and Munoz should possibly have done more to stop Jeremy Doku scoring for Manchester City last weekend, for example, but by and large the Spain international has looked competent when tracking back and clearly has no problem with getting his hands dirty at the back.

Munoz is good in duels, and has already won 27 this season, putting him in the top 23% of Premier League wingers this season, and he has also made five interceptions, which places him among the best 14%.

Like Jeremie Frimpong, his pace is probably his biggest asset to Liverpool, but he is a much better dribbler than his Dutch counterpart, and he is hugely adept at getting the Reds up the pitch from deep positions. With another option to hit ahead of him, that could be even more effective.

Attack is obviously where he wants to be, but football history is littered with former wingers who have dropped back to become full-backs, with his compatriot Jesus Navas a good example for Munoz to potentially follow.

Liverpool still want Conor Bradley to be their starting right-back when he returns from injury, but there is a chance that the Northern Irishman simply cannot shake off his fitness issues. It also remains to be seen how he comes back from an absence which is not far off reaching the one year mark.

Araujo has done a decent job so far, but the Uruguayan is better at centre-back and clearly has his limitations, while Frimpong is not the answer either. There is a spot there to be claimed, and though he would prefer to firm up his place in the Liverpool attack, this would be a much more consistent way of getting Munoz into the team.

Ngumoha and Munoz can play together

Andoni Iraola commented after Liverpool’s win over LASK on Wednesday that playing Frimpong at right-back requires his right winger to drift infield more, as the speedster races down the outside. The same was true with Munoz in defence on Saturday.

This kind of set up absolutely suits Rio Ngumoha, who was excellent on the right against LASK and again when coming on to face Brentford on Saturday.

Ngumoha may feel he should be starting after really stepping up in recent weeks, but the same could also be true of Munoz, who was bright against City and then arguably Liverpool’s best player at Brentford. He does not deserve to be benched either. With Bradley Barcola and Alexander Isak certain to be regulars in the attack, there is only one spot up for grabs.

Saturday showed that the two can be in the line up together, though, potentially completing Liverpool’s right-hand side for years to come.

Cody Gakpo will have something to say about that when he is back fit, and having appeared on the bench at the Gtech Community Stadium, the Dutchman will surely be back in contention for Tuesday’s clash with Villarreal. But question marks remain over Gakpo’s future, and as contract talks with Ngumoha drag on, dropping Munoz back could free up his pathway into the regular starting XI.

Iraola certainly has a decision to make over who starts against Villarreal and in upcoming matches against Brighton and Arsenal. With Frimpong’s injury preventing rotation at right-back, it might be a good time to trial what has the potential to be a permanent solution. Whether it works or not, it is certainly worth a look.