Former Premier League midfielder Don Hutchison has been blown away by the performances of Liverpool midfielder Fabinho, both this season and the last.
The Brazil international has recovered spectacularly from a slow start to life at the club, and must now be considered one of the first names on the team-sheet for manager Jurgen Klopp.
BBC pundit Hutchison is a big fan: “I wonder when people will realise that Fabinho is not just a holding midfielder,” he wrote on his personal Twitter account.
“He plays like an 8. He was the best player on the pitch over the two Barca games last season and ex[c]ellent this season.”
https://twitter.com/donhutch4/status/1194029789251883009
OPINION
There’s no doubt that the leap Fabinho has made over the past 12 months has been quite stunning. There was talk of the club selling him in January this time last year, as he struggled to adapt to English football. However, his turnaround has been immense and he is now arguably the finest holding midfielder in the Premier League. Even that description fails to do him justice, though, as Hutchison says. He’s not your typical number four, instead a midfielder who does the job of both a four and an eight. The statistics from this season demonstrate how well-rounded the 26-year-old’s game is. As per WhoScored.com, the former Monaco man is averaging 2.6 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game, to go with one key pass an outing, with one goal scored and two assisted. Furthermore, he averages 63.6 passes a game, with a phenomenal success rate of 87%. It’s now hard to picture a Liverpool team without the superlative Brazilian anchoring the midfield. He’s truly a credit to his club.
