Jurgen Klopp and Trent Alexander-Arnold have both waxed lyrical about Liverpool ‘s “special” youngster, Fabio Carvalho.
The 19-year-old midfielder appeared as a half-time substitute and scored his first goal for the club during their 9-0 demolition of Bournemouth on Saturday, as the Reds racked up their biggest-ever Premier League win and matched the all-time record set by Manchester United and Leicester City. Carvalho’s sweetly-struck volley made it eight with 10 minutes of normal time remaining and post-match, the Portuguese was lauded by both his manager and teammate.
Klopp singled out Carvalho while praising Liverpool’s young players who featured at Anfield, stating: “We [brought on] on the kids, they deserve it so much. Fabio is a special player and a wonderful goal, everything was perfect, pretty much.”
Alexander-Arnold echoed the Reds boss’ sentiment by adding: “He’s gelled well with the lads and he’s got the world at his feet. I’m sure he’ll go on to do amazing things. For him it’s about pushing a place into the team and making an impact and today he’s bagged himself a goal. He’s built himself a really good foundation for this season so hopefully he can go on and push further.”
Carvalho only arrived from Fulham in June, with Liverpool paying a nominal £5million to avoid going to a tribunal. The teenager’s deal with the Cottagers was due to expire this summer, but an FA rule means that clubs who bring players through their academy are entitled to compensation if another team signs them on a pre-contract agreement.
The man himself was delighted with his first goal, telling BBC Sport alongside Alexander-Arnold: “It means a lot to be fair. It’s something I’ve been waiting to do and I’ve had my chances, so today it finally happened which I’m very happy about. But as Trent said, it’s all about the win and three points.”
Klopp heaped praise on Carvalho after Liverpool’s record-equalling win
