Klopp plays down prolonged Fabinho absence

Jurgen Klopp remains fully confident Fabinho will improve his Liverpool side, but only once he has adapted to a ‘completely different system’.

The Brazilian, a £40million summer signing from Monaco, has yet to make the 18-man squad for any of Liverpool’s four Premier League games.

Klopp is keen to very much ease him into the fold, just as he did, successfully, with two of last season’s newbies, Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

“I don’t like to compare players but, to be honest, we had similar questions and similar things to talk about around Robbo and about Ox,” the German told the press ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Tottenham.

“The thing is, it’s absolutely no problem. I don’t like the situation; it’s not that I like to say to Fabinho, who is full of energy and desire and wants to be involved, ‘you are not involved this weekend’. That’s not nice, it’s only the job to do sometimes.

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BLACKBURN, ENGLAND – JULY 19: Fabinho of Liverpool during the Pre-Season Friendly between Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool at Ewood Park on July 19, 2018 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by Lynne Cameron/Getty Images)

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“We have players that worked together now for much longer; he comes from another league, a completely different system which Monaco played, to us. We have a good team together so that takes time.”

Klopp understands that fans may be frustrated at their limited glimpses of the Brazilian, but stressed that there was no cause for concern.

“The plan was, and is still, that he will make us better,” he said. “That’s what we are working on. That sometimes needs more time, sometimes a bit less.

“From my point of view, it’s all fine. I know the situation is not like maybe a few people would have expected but sorry, I cannot change that.”

A report from the Mirror on Thursday evening suggested Fabinho would be named among the substitutes at Wembley on Saturday lunchtime.

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Source: anfieldhq.com