‘Really important’: Fabinho says player Klopp sold in 2019 was so vital for him at Liverpool

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Fabinho has praised former Liverpool teammate Alberto Moreno for helping him to settle in at Anfield.

The Brazilian midfielder arrived in 2018, a year before Moreno’s eventual departure from Liverpool. And speaking to liverpoolfc.com, Fabinho said he was thankful for the way the left-back, and Roberto Firmino, welcomed him into the squad.

“When I arrived at Liverpool, it was really important the way the people treated me. It was really important to have someone like Bobby and Alberto Moreno at that time – they really helped me to feel comfortable, to feel really at home since my first day here,” he said.

“People from the club – not just manager and players but people who work in the kitchen and everyone – were really nice with me.”

Fabinho went on to predict that the same hospitality will be afforded to new signing Cody Gakpo.

“This will not be different with Gakpo,” he claimed. “So, I hope he will feel the love, feel really welcome here and be ready to play.”

Thank you, Albie

Fabinho’s admission highlights why Moreno was kept around for so long by Jurgen Klopp.

By the time Liverpool’s No.3 arrived in 2018, the Spaniard was already well on his way out of Anfield. Having lost his place in the starting XI as far back as 2016, there was no way back for Moreno. But, obviously, this didn’t turn him into a negative influence in the dressing room. Quite the opposite.

The now Villarreal man played the game like a dog running after a bone, and this appears to be how he lives his life off the pitch too. Full of energy and always with a smile, Moreno was a popular member of the Liverpool squad.

So, although there weren’t too many tears from Reds fans when he left in 2019, perhaps the playing staff were a little more solemn.

For Fabinho, who knows how he’d have turned out at Liverpool without the support of friends like Moreno. The Brazil international struggled immensely getting to grips with Klopp’s system during his first months at Anfield.

Had he failed to integrate off the pitch too, maybe he wouldn’t have been the success story that he has. So, if for nothing else other than helping to welcome one of the best defensive midfielders in Liverpool history, thank you Albie.

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