Jurgen Klopp admits Joe Gomez’s likely return to fitness ahead of Monday’s heavyweight Premier League clash against Arsenal is likely to impact on his team selection and Fabinho’s involvement in particular.
The Brazil international started the season in his customary role at the base of Liverpool’s midfield, but was deployed at centre-half at Stamford Bridge last week in the absence of Gomez.
Fabinho gave an assured performance and helped tame the likes of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz as the Premier League champions coasted to a 2-0 victory against Chelsea.
The 23-year-old replaced Virgil van Dijk at half time in last night’s 7-2 Carabao Cup win over Lincoln last night and again looked comfortable at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.
Thiago Alcantara’s arrival from Bayern Munich last week has handed Klopp another standout midfield option and the Liverpool manager admitted Fabinho’s versatility could be vital to his hopes of enjoying an extended run in the first XI.
Asked if his positional switch was a long-term answer, the Liverpool boss told Sky Sports: ‘What do I know?
‘We have to make sure we have centre halves when we play football and Fabinho can obviously play the position very well, he’s fit and that’s good, so he gets minutes, that’s good for him.
‘But he is doing really well, if he plays like he played against Chelsea he can play as a centre half, 100%.
‘If somebody else plays as a 6, he has another position.’
