​Is Araujo the man to shore up Iraola’s leaky Liverpool defence?

As pre-season has confirmed, the Reds desperately needed to strengthen at the back.

With nine goals conceded in just four friendlies, it was glaringly obvious that Iraola would have a real job on his hands to transform the club’s fortunes without bringing in another centre-back.

Step forward Araujo, who is raring to get going after switching from La Liga giants Barcelona. But is the injury-prone Uruguayan really the solution?

Given his ability, the 27-year-old ace has all the attributes required to be a hit at Anfield.

He is relishing playing alongside skipper Virgil van Dijk and has vowed to help Liverpool get back on track after a trophyless 2025-26 campaign.

Yet his injury track record is a cause for concern, with numerous problems affecting his playing time during seven seasons with Barca.

Iraola, however, can take heart from the fact Araujo managed 38 appearances in all competitions last term, scoring four goals along the way.

He did not get any game time at the World Cup but is clearly feeling good after starting pre-season with his parent club.

Speaking to Liverpool’s official website, Araujo said: “I had two weeks’ break but since then I’ve been in pre-season training with Barcelona. To be fair, that’s been a decent pace and rhythm.

“I’m feeling good at the moment, I’m feeling in shape.

“Obviously, we’ve still got almost a couple of weeks now before the league season starts here at Liverpool. That’s what we’re working for.

“I think I’ll be ready, I think I’ll be in good physical shape to be ready to make a start.”

Those words may not instil full confidence but the Liverpool faithful will be buoyed by Araujo’s belief that he can hit the ground running in the Premier League.

He added: “I think the style of play in the English league should be perfect for my qualities as a player.

“It’s a league I’ve wanted to play in for a long time. It’s very, very competitive.

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“Without a shadow of a doubt, the aim is to win trophies, win things. You come to a club like Liverpool, a team that is competing on all levels for all trophies, so we need to be battling it out on all fronts.

“You aim high at a club like this — that’s what we’ll all be doing. That’s the main aim of the players and I’m sure it is of everyone at the club and the supporters as well.

“As well as aiming high, I’ll be giving everything that I can out there on the pitch to try to make that happen.”

If he can stay fit, Araujo will have every chance of making his switch to Merseyside permanent.

But if injury problems rear their ugly head again, what has been described as the perfect stop-gap signing may turn into a real headache for Iraola.

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