There is still uncertainty about the future of Liverpool midfielder Fabio Carvalho, with reports suggesting that the Reds have been contemplating recalling him from his loan spell at RB Leipzig.
The 21-year-old only joined the Bundesliga club on a season-long deal in June, but has been unable to nail down a regular starting berth.
Liverpool assistant manager, Pepijn Lijnders, when asked to comment on reports that the club was considering cancelling his loan and bringing the Portuguese back to Anfield during the January transfer window, admitted that Carvalho’s lack of game time was a concern:
“It’s most important he finds rhythm; we all know a player with rhythm is a different player than a player without.”
So far this season, Carvalho has only made 14 appearances in all competitions. Only two of these have been starts: a 1-0 win away over Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga at the end of September, and last week’s dead-rubber against Young Boys in the Champions League, in which he played the full 90 minutes.
Before to his move to Germany, Carvalho made 21 appearances for the Reds last season, scoring three goals.
Despite making a promising start during that campaign, the former Fulham man’s appearances dropped off a cliff in the New Year as he found it difficult to displace Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez on the left-hand side.
Regarding Carvalho’s situation, Lijnders stressed the need for Carvalho to secure minutes on the pitch:
“He needs to find minutes, but it’s not up to me, it’s up to our directors to speak with the club and find the best solution for him.”
“We all want the best for him because he is our player, so wait and see but no decision [has been] made about that,” he concluded.
If Carvalho does indeed return to Merseyside, it’s still difficult to see how his situation is likely to improve in this regard. Another loan move elsewhere would most likely have to be sought.
