Dean Ashton drooled over the transformation of Liverpool midfielder Fabinho as he suggested the Brazilian returned to the club a better player after the summer break.
The best online bookmakers review sites have Liverpool as strong favourites for the title and the Brazilian midfielder is playing a key part in that.
The Sky Sports pundit claimed that Fabinho had improved immensely not just since he joined Liverpool in 2018 but since the summer just gone.
“He’s played every Premier League match so far and been vital,” said Ashton on Match Centre (Sky Sports News, Thursday, November 28th).
“I think they were looking for that player who is going to sit in front of the back-four for a while.
“He’s been so disciplined, he’s improved hugely.
“And not just since he has been at Liverpool, I think since the summer, it’s like has come back a better player.”
The 26-year-old has started 86% of the Reds’ Premier League matches this season, as per Transfermarkt, with him featuring a total of 12 times in the competition.
OPINION
Fabinho has definitely grown as a player since joining Liverpool from Monaco, as when he first arrived at Anfield he struggled to secure a place in the first-team. However, now he is one of the first names on Jurgen Klopp’s teamsheet, which reflects how much he has improved. Yet it’s hard to see why Ashton thinks that Fabinho has improved since the summer, as he did end his 2018/19 season in strong form. Then again maybe the pundit just wants to emphasis how much he has been impressed by the 26-year-old this season. Fabinho has been a defensive rock in the Reds’ midfield this season as he has averaged 2.5 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per match across his 12 league outings, as per WhoScored, and he has done all he can to protect the club’s defence in matches as a result. The 26-year-old also has taken the chance to show off his attacking talents this season as not only has he averaged 1.1 key passes across his Premier League outings, but he also scored a simply stunning goal to help his side beat Manchester City 3-1 at the start of the month.
