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At the time, it seemed harmless.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jurgen Klopp's first choice right-back, was fit and in-form, causing havoc with that wicked delivery of his and racking up the assists, all whilst Nathaniel Clyne watched on from the bench.

As a result, Liverpool saw no harm in loaning the England international out to Bournemouth.

However, just days after the Crystal Palace academy graduate joined the Cherries, Alexander-Arnold suffered a knee injury, ruling him out of action for a month.

Luis Suarez certainly had no qualms about celebrating against his former employers in the video below...

With no recognised right-back available to cover, Klopp was forced to turn to his versatile utility man, James Milner.

The former Leeds man filled in at left-back for the entire 2016/17 season admirably, but his impact over on the other side of defence was not quite the same.

Milner played in the role in consecutive 1-1 draws against Leicester and West Ham, results which, at the time, looked insignificant with plenty of time remaining in the title race.

The 33-year-old failed to replicate Alexander-Arnold's impact in the position, offering nowhere near as much going forward as the 20-year-old, whilst also being uncharacteristically caught out from a defensive aspect - he was sent off for picking up two yellows against Crystal Palace whilst playing right-back too.

Were Michael Edwards and Klopp in agreement that loaning the peripheral figure of Clyne out - presumably in order to put him in the shop window before the summer - was the right idea? It's highly plausible.

That seems like the only logical explanation for their decision.

Why else would you loan out the only other natural right-back in the mid-season window whilst competing for the title against a side with the extensive depth Manchester City have?

The possible decision to ramp up his transfer fee has also backfired. Clyne has made 12 starts for Eddie Howe's side, but hasn't really set the world alight and it remains to be seen whether or not the South Coast side will make the deal permanent.

With just a single game to go in the title race, as well, it appears that the two draws against the Foxes and the Hammers will cost Liverpool a first ever Premier League success - they are a point behind City, and need to hope Pep Guardiola's men slip up against Brighton whilst the Reds must also beat Wolves to stand any chance.

Would those two results have been different if Klopp had a natural right-back in Clyne, who is very good at overlapping and supporting the attack whilst also dependable in defence? We'll never know.

But most probably, yes.

Klopp and Edwards' decision may have seemed irrelevant at the time but, with the wonderful benefit of hindsight, it was clearly a major blunder from the decision-makers at Anfield.