Phil Babb thinks Roberto Firmino was overweight at the start of his time at Liverpool, but has now transformed into a lean and strong performer who is able to put in a shift over the whole 90 minutes.
Liverpool raided Bundesliga club Hoffenheim to take Firmino to Anfield last summer, with the Brazilian initially working under Brendan Rodgers at the Merseyside giants.
He took time to settle though and it is Rodgers' successor Jurgen Klopp who is enjoying the best Firmino has to offer; the former Borussia Dortmund coach has opted to play Firmino as a false 9, trusting in the Brazil international to lead the line.
Babb thinks there has been a big improvement from Firmino over the course of his Liverpool career, revealing he saw someone a little overweight when he first arrived.
"Certainly when he came to the club you could argue it took a long time for us to see the best of him", Babb said on LFC TV.
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"He was a little bit overweight. He looks a lot stronger now, leaner, he can last 90 minutes plus.
"The end of last season when he was pushed to play as the lone striker, or certainly through the middle, he did really well. I think he got ten or eleven goals from that position.
"It just works well with the players behind him", Babb said.
Firmino has made eleven appearances across all competitions for Liverpool this season, scoring five goals and providing four assists for his fellow Reds.
Last term the Brazilian netted on eleven occasions, meaning he is all but half way towards hitting 2015/16's total in what has been an impressive start to the season for the Merseyside giants.
