Liverpool youngster Fabio Carvalho wasn’t pictured in first-team training today, alongside James Milner and Nat Phillips.
That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who claim the trio were not seen out on pitch at Kirkby this afternoon.
The Reds are preparing for the fourth round of their FA Cup defence, when they make the trip down to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
Following a dreadful defeat to the south-coast side earlier this month, Jurgen Klopp put his squad through their places in training earlier today.
However, not everybody was present for the session. Obviously, the injured quintet of Roberto Firmino, Virgil van Dijk, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Arthur Melo were not involved.
Instead, it was the absences of Carvalho, Phillips and Milner that raised concerns.
The FA Cup clash is still five days away, so it could just be a case of players still being on their own individual training programmes until nearer the match.
However, with rumours that Phillips is set to leave the club this week, this may not be the case.
Liverpool trio missing from training
One of the players missing from training today was Carvalho.
The 20-year-old has been largely absent from first-team action recently, having been excluded from the matchday squad against Chelsea on Saturday.
The only real minutes the youngster has received in recent times came against Wolves in the side’s third round FA Cup replay. Carvalho played 66 minutes for the Reds as Klopp’s left-sided winger.
Apart from this, his minutes on the pitch have been limited.
The attacking midfielder featured in the first six Premier League fixtures of the season for Liverpool. However, the former U21 Portugal international hasn’t featured in the top-flight since November 12. Ever since this date, he has remained on the bench.
The former Fulham attacker only arrived on Merseyside last summer, but he already seems to have fallen out of favour with the manager. When the Reds have needed a late goal, he has opted to send on alternative players – raising questions over the youngster’s future.
If Carvalho isn’t going to get a game at Anfield this term, the club should send him out on loan to another Premier League team.
He is certainly a very talented individual, so more first-team experience at the top level will advance his development tremendously.
Either way, his fall down the pecking order has been rather strange.
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