Liverpool attacker Fabio Carvalho deserves regular first-team minutes. If Jurgen Klopp isn’t going to play him, he needs to go out on loan.
The highly rated 20-year-old only arrived on Merseyside last summer, but he already seems to have fallen out of favour with the manager.
The attacking midfielder featured in the first six Premier League fixtures for the Reds, during which he bagged two goals – including a last-minute winner against Newcastle United.
After suffering from muscular problems, the former U21 Portugal international returned to Klopp’s side, even featuring in the starting XI on a number of occasions as a left winger.
However, since then, Carvalho has been awarded just three minutes of top-flight football. Instead, he has remained on the bench each week.
Even when Liverpool have been looking for a late goal, the boss has opted for alternative players to send on – raising questions over the youngster’s future.
Carvalho needs to play – RTK View
Having featured recently in the FA Cup replay against Wolves, Klopp admitted that Carvalho’s absence has been a sporting decision, rather than anything else.
“There are no, from my point of view, personal situations or stuff like this,” Klopp said. “He’s behaving well. It’s just sports decisions that you make for the moment.”
Therefore, it seems really strange a young talent who earned chances week-in, week-out at the start of the season, can no longer get onto the pitch.
The 20-year-old is a calm finisher and a technical player on the ball. He moves well in the final third, and he has a decent amount of pace to compliment his play-style.
However, he needs to become more powerful and gain some strength. Carvalho can sometimes lose the ball easily due to his lack of physicality, so this is certainly something that can be improved going forward. Furthermore, sometimes he is wasteful in possession, but this is largely due to a lack of experience.
Klopp is yet to play Carvalho in his preferred number 10 position. Having shown he is more than capable of making an impact off the bench, the youngster deserves more minutes than he’s currently receiving.
Therefore, if he isn’t going to play at the Reds, Liverpool need to send him out on loan in the Premier League.
Hailed by pundit Phil Thompson as a ‘sensational’ player, the attacker requires game-time to improve.
Consequently, if Klopp is no longer willing to do this at Anfield, he needs to play elsewhere.