Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has hailed Reds summer-recruit Fabinho and his versatility, and insists that the midfielder should not be dropped at the weekend against Crystal Palace.
Fabinho stepped in at the heart of Liverpool’s defence alongside Virgil van Dijk against Brighton, due to the injuries suffered by Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip.
The Brazilian is also equally adept at playing as a right-back and offers cover in a number of positions, courtesy of his versatile nature.
Despite suffering a defeat against Wolves during his first appearance for Liverpool at centre-back, Fabinho produced a healthy display against Brighton on Saturday in a testing 1-0 win on the south coast.
And Aldridge hailed Fabinho’s versatility for helping out Liverpool in a crisis situation, owing to the injuries picked up by their senior defenders at the moment.
“I expect Matip to return to the defence at the weekend, but Fabinho deserves to keep his place somewhere in this team”, Aldridge wrote in his column for the Liverpool Echo.
“The summer signing from Monaco has really found his feet in the last few weeks and he’s been getting better and better lately.
“Between him and Naby Keita – the two big-money midfielders who joined in the summer transfer window – it’s Fabinho who has the edge at the moment.
“As well as obviously being a Brazil international midfielder, he can also play at right-back, as well as centre-half, as he’s shown in the last two games, so his versatility is important at the moment.”
Fabinho, who joined the Reds from Monaco in the summer, has notched up 19 appearances across all competitions so far this term.
