1 year ago
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Photo by Antonio Balasco/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
A difficult first year at Anfield resulted in the 20-year-old joining RB Leipzig on loan this summer.
When Liverpool landed Fabio Carvalho for £7.5M from Fulham last summer, it was seen as something of a steal for a youngster who had been one of the standout performers in the Championship the previous season.
His first season with the club didn’t go to plan, though, and Carvalho barely saw the pitch following the winter World Cup break, leading to the now 20-year-old pushing to depart the club this summer and ending up at RB Leipzig on loan.
“I feel like the reason it hasn’t worked at Liverpool is because of the position I have been playing,” he reflected this week when speaking to the press during a break in preparations for the upcoming Bundesliga season.
“I was told I’d come in and play as a 10 but [Liverpool] don’t really play with a 10 whereas here we play with two 10s. and I’m more able to get on the inside, turn, and go forward. So I’d probably say that’s the reason it hasn’t worked out.”
Carvalho had pushed hard for a permanent departure from Liverpool this summer, believing any top side would be less likely to prioritise minutes for his development if he were only there on loan for the 2023-24 season.
In the end, though, Leipzig—who initially attempted to sign him in a permanent deal—convinced the player that he would both get a chance with them and that they would like to find a way to keep him beyond the upcoming campaign.
“We don’t really know what happens next year,” Carvalho noted when he was asked about his future beyond 2023-24. “I may be here or may be at Liverpool, so we’ll see. I’ll just focus on this year and on doing the best I can.”
