Why Victor Munoz Could Be Iraola’s Answer At Right-Back

Victor Munoz arrived at Liverpool this summer with almost no fuss. His release clause at Osasuna was triggered in June, he cost a modest fee by modern standards, and most supporters outside Spain had barely heard his name. Three months into the season, we think that quiet arrival deserves a much louder conversation, because Munoz may have just handed Andoni Iraola something the squad has been missing all year, a genuine, sustainable option at right-back.

The Underlying Numbers Tell Their Own Story

Strip away the eye test for a second and look at what Munoz is actually producing defensively. His tackle numbers put him in the top quarter of Premier League wingers, and his interception count places him among the best seventh of the entire division at his nominal position. Those are not the kind of returns you expect from a player signed as an attacking wide option. They suggest someone who reads danger early and is willing to do unglamorous work rather than wait for the ball in the final third. Watch him over ninety minutes and the data matches the eye test, he recovers ground quickly, he competes in duels he does not have to win, and he rarely hides from contact. None of that proves he is a finished right-back. It does prove he is not allergic to the job.

A Habit That Predates The Brentford Switch

What makes this more than a one-off tactical tweak is that Munoz had already been doing defensive work from wide positions well before Iraola moved him into the back line against Brentford. With Ronald Araujo regularly tucking into a right-sided centre-back role, Munoz has often been left covering the space behind him and tracking runners who get in behind. It has not been flawless. There was a difficult afternoon against Jeremy Doku the previous weekend that exposed some rawness in his one-on-one defending. But across several matches now, the pattern has been one of willingness and growing competence rather than a player being exposed. His equaliser against Brentford, scored from inside his own right-back role, only reinforced the point that he can still influence games from that position rather than simply surviving in it.

Bradley’s Fitness Is The Real Complication

None of this happens in a vacuum. Liverpool still see Conor Bradley as the long-term owner of the right-back shirt once he is fully fit, and nobody at the club is pretending otherwise. The trouble is that Bradley’s spell on the sidelines is edging toward a year, and a lay-off of that length cannot be waved away as a minor detail. Until he proves he can handle a full Premier League schedule again, he is a plan for the future rather than a dependable option now. Araujo has deputised reasonably well in the meantime, but his natural home remains central defence, and Liverpool are not getting the best of him by stationing him out wide. Munoz, by contrast, offers something closer to a natural full-back profile with his comfort carrying the ball and his willingness to track back, even if his long-term self-image is still that of a winger.

Rotation Elsewhere Makes This More Than A Defensive Fix

There is a squad-building argument here too, not just a defensive one. Jeremie Frimpong’s injury has already thinned Iraola’s options on that side, and Rio Ngumoha’s progress means Liverpool have another talented attacker pushing for minutes on the right. If Munoz can be trusted at right-back, it becomes far easier to fit Ngumoha into the team higher up the pitch, with one player stretching the pitch from deep and the other operating between the lines. Cody Gakpo’s return from injury adds a further layer to the attacking picture, even if it does not change the central issue at full-back. Liverpool have a gap in that position, and right now Munoz looks like the most credible answer already on the books.

Our Take

We would not call this settled business. Can Munoz defend the back post consistently across a full ninety minutes? Can he manage his positioning against the division’s best wide forwards week after week, rather than in short bursts? Those are fair questions, and the only way to answer them properly is to keep playing him there. With fixtures against Villarreal, Brighton and Arsenal coming up, and Frimpong unavailable to rotate, Iraola may not have much choice but to find out. Munoz was signed as a winger and probably still sees himself as one. That may end up being beside the point. If Liverpool have stumbled onto a right-back who can defend to an acceptable level, carry the ball forward and keep another dangerous attacker in the side, the conversation around that position changes quickly. For now, this is not hype. It is a sensible, practical option, and one worth exploring properly.