Although Trent Alexander-Arnold has already demonstrated his importance to Liverpool this season, a significant choice must soon be made. Liverpool eventually cruised to its first win of the Arne Slot era on Saturday for a variety of reasons.

However, Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna identified one crucial alteration in his post-game remarks.

“There weren’t huge differences tactically,” said McKenna. “But Trent played a little higher on the right. Liverpool showed their quality in the top line especially and their ability to use the space in behind and play the ball in for the fast runners.”

New season, same old Alexander-Arnold. After a strange European Championships with England, the Reds man was back among familiar surrounds and – both in terms of position and team-mates – and once again underlined why he will be critical to the direction of Slot’s team this season.

The first half, like so many of his team-mates, was a case of Alexander-Arnold finding his range, whether that be with slightly overhit passes attempting to release Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota over the top, or a shot that was far too high.

But the subsequent tweak in tactics from Slot and overall raising of intensity from Liverpool saw the right-back at the heart of the Reds’ second-half transformation.

Moments after an inviting cross was glanced wastefully wide by Jota, Alexander-Arnold’s perfectly-weighted pass sent Salah in behind the Ipswich defence to tee up the Portuguese opener.

Earlier still, Alexander-Arnold had brought the ball out of midfield and carried on his run into the area to set up a chance Luis Diaz lifted over the crossbar.

That was highlighted later by Slot as an example of the football he wants Liverpool to play, and possibly pointed to how Alexander-Arnold will be given more of a free reign to burst forward when drifting into central positions as he did so more regularly after the interval at Portman Road.

That the Reds now ostensibly have two holding midfielders – on Saturday it was Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch as the double pivot – will offer extra security to the back line in those moments.

Alexander-Arnold had already proven he was in the mood the previous week when, on his first appearance since slotting home the penalty that won England’s Euros quarter-final against Switzerland but was insufficient to earn a kick in either the semi-final or final, he had delivered the cross from which Jota scored the opener in the 4-1 friendly win over Sevilla.

The Liverpool man, of course, had started the Euros in midfield as part of an experiment that was swiftly abandoned by now-departed England boss Gareth Southgate.

The personnel around him didn’t help – Conor Gallagher, for example, was no better despite being a recognised midfielder – but there’s no doubt Alexander-Arnold never looked completely comfortable in the role.

Perhaps there was a reason Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp was so reluctant to commit to Alexander-Arnold operating permanently in midfield, instead converting him into an inverted right-back and permitting occasional forays into central areas. Any appearances in central midfield itself were as cameos from the bench.

And with Liverpool having not made any new signings, and sufficiently stocked in midfield that they could sanction the sales of Fabio Carvalho and Bobby Clark while considering a loan exit for Stefan Bajcetic, it seems unlikely there will be any great appetite, at least for now, for Slot to try out Alexander-Arnold in midfield. Certainly, such calls have lessened since the player’s harsh treatment at the Euros.

While Alexander-Arnold is the first choice at right-back, the emergence of Conor Bradley – who replaced him late on at Portman Road – provides scope for rotation during what will Liverpool will hope is another hectic campaign. The England man can stay reasonably fresh.

Which leaves only the elephant in the room, and a sizeable one at that – a contract situation that has seen the 25-year-old enter the last 12 months of his current deal without any suggestion of a being near to a new agreement, with European Super League sympathisers Real Madrid reportedly lying in wait.

The player has already pledged his future to Liverpool for this season, similar to Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk who are also heading towards the end of their contracts and, as it stands, free to speak to clubs from abroad in January. Nobody can doubt the commitment of those three players if Saturday is any barometer.

Unless a new contract reveal is being plotted behind the scenes, the situation will become an unnecessary distraction once the transfer window closes at the end of next week when the focus will turn to the future of the aforementioned triumvirate.

The optimal place for Alexander-Arnold to play for Liverpool under Slot this season may have become clearer last weekend. Regardless of his decision, it would be best if everyone knew his plans as soon as possible after that. Time is running out.