Roberto Firmino has hailed the impact of Liverpool teammate Fabio Carvalho after his summer arrival from Fulham.
The Reds have made a slow start to the Premier League campaign, but the 20-year-old has made a big impression at Anfield after netting in consecutive wins over Bournemouth and Newcastle.
And Firmino, who has entered his seventh season at the Merseyside club, has tipped the youngster to be a big part of Liverpool’s future.
“I confess that I had already watched some of his games before coming to Liverpool, so I was already impressed by the way he played,” the Brazilian told Noticias ao Minuto. “He’s an ace, he’s a great player and now he’s also a very close friend.
“We are happy to have him here at Liverpool and I know he will help us a lot, with assists, goals and also his character on the pitch.”
Liverpool parted with a fee in excess of £7m for the 20-year-old over the summer and he instantly repaid the faith shown in him by manager Jurgen Klopp with a stoppage time winner against Newcastle at Anfield.
Carvalho suffered a dead leg in last weekend’s goalless draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby, although Liverpool are hopeful that this weekend’s postponement of their clash with Wolves will afford the youngster more recovery time.
“Fabio got a massive dead leg, which caused the muscle some problems, so it was no chance,” Klopp explained.
“He’s walking now normal, but there was no chance to train until now.
“We hope now every day will get better and he will be ready for the weekend, but I’m not 100% sure.”
