|
Jurgen Klopp insisted there is nothing wrong with Fabinho as he still awaits his competitive Liverpool debut. Fabinho, who signed from Monaco for €50 million this summer, was not part of Liverpool's matchday squad for the third consecutive game when he sat out the 2-1 victory at Leicester City on Saturday. The defensive midfielder has only been an unused substitute on the opening weekend of the Premier League, but Klopp said he will have a part to play in Liverpool's upcoming busy period. "Nothing [is wrong]," Klopp said. "The team is good. He needs time to adapt. He could have been in the squad but it's quite difficult when they are all fit. "It's good to have the situation, but one needs more time or the others are already used to it. That's the only reason. He will come back. He already makes big steps in the last few weeks. He could even play." Fabinho will join up with Brazil for friendlies against the United States on Sept. 7 and El Salvador on Sept. 11, along with Liverpool teammates Alisson and Roberto Firmino. "Hopefully, he will have games for Brazil and have that," Klopp said. "Then it's games, games, games and the whole of September -- I don't know how many, but a lot. We need all of them. "It looked like we didn't need all of them because we played a consistent lineup, but the level in training was high [and] because of that, it's all cool. Hopefully, they come back healthy and we have to use them all." Meanwhile, Klopp said he has been pleased with Joe Gomez, who has thrived in central defence during Liverpool's flawless start to the campaign. Gomez was forced to miss the World Cup after undergoing ankle surgery in May, but the 21-year-old has been called up to the England squad for upcoming games against Spain and Switzerland. "It was unlucky," Klopp said. "It sometimes happens to players shortly before the World Cup -- that's always the worst moment. For us, it was the best moment because it gave him the opportunity to start preseason with us and it's a benefit of that. "But how he plays at the moment, there's no doubt he should be in that group. He has all that you need as a defender. He is a young boy and has already had a lot of games. It's all good." Gomez was splitting right-back duties with Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool last term until his injury. However, with Dejan Lovren sidelined with a pelvic issue that he aggravated during the World Cup, Gomez has excelled alongside Virgil van Dijk in his preferred position of centre-half. "All I can do is play," Gomez told reporters. "I don't think it's down for me to declare or say anything. Obviously, before, in the past, I have said I want to play there eventually, but whether I'm doing well or not is not for me to decide. "I've just got to stay focused and try to keep going. I've got great people around me like Virg and the whole team to learn from and keep developing."
|
