Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp has heaped praise on Reds star Fabinho, and believes Chelsea attacker Christian Pulisic’s situation is similar to his.
The United States of America international has been gradually eased into the first team by Frank Lampard this season, but bagged a hat-trick against Burnley on Saturday. Redknapp believes the Blues boss has taken a leaf out of Jurgen Klopp’s book.
“Just because Pulisic cost £58million, or because he is seen as a superstar in the United States, does not mean we should expect him to arrive in England and rip it up from the get-go. It takes time,” he wrote in his Daily Mail column. “He has to get to know the Premier League first. Just like Fabinho has done for Liverpool.
“After signing the midfielder for £39m in the summer of 2018, Jurgen Klopp gave him time. Now, the 26-year-old is one of the best No 6s out there. He is crucial to the league leaders, having appeared in every Liverpool game this season, except when he was rested for their Carabao Cup clash with MK Dons.”
OPINION
There’s really no overstating just how important Fabinho now is to Klopp’s team. The European champions are hugely reliant on him, and an injury to the Brazilian international would likely only be surpassed in its devastation amongst Reds fans by a setback to star defender Virgil van Dijk. The 26-year-old has been absolutely superb so far this season, and that continued once again on Sunday as he produced a masterful performance in the Reds’ 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. The statistics show that he has been tremendous so far this season. As per WhoScored.com, the former Monaco man is averaging 2.8 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game. Meanwhile, he has bagged two assists and is averaging 1.2 key passes an outing, while his typical pass success rate is up at 87.3%. Simply put, he has been sensational and is very much one of the best at his position in world football, as Redknapp says. What would Klopp do without him?
