Liverpool have Mane replacement in their ranks, and it's not Nunez
Karan Tejwani
- 10 Sept 2022 17:15 BST
- 3 min read
Liverpool have had a difficult start to the season, compounded by the recent 4-1 defeat in their Champions League group stage opener away at Napoli.
The Reds have only won twice in the league this season after six matches, and are struggling for form, as evident by their recent performances across the Premier League and Champions League.
One suggestion is that they haven’t adequately replaced Sadio Mane, who departed for Bayern Munich in the summer, despite bringing in Darwin Nunez for a mammoth fee from Benfica.
However, one of their current players believes the Senegalese star’s replacement is already within the squad in the form of another youngster who joined them over the summer transfer window.
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Liverpool forward impressed by Carvalho
Fabio Carvalho moved to Liverpool in the summer window after interest in him from last season – the Reds tried to sign him in January, but failed to get a deal over the line for him.
The 20-year-old signed a five-year deal upon his move, keeping him at the club until 2027, and one Liverpool senior player is impressed by the start he has made at Anfield.
Speaking to O Jogo, Roberto Firmino said: “He’s a great player. I confess that I had watched some of his games before he came to Liverpool. So I was already impressed by the way he played.
Fabio Carvalho on what he wants in the future:
"A few Ballon d'Or's, a few Champions Leagues. You laugh but I am being serious." #lfc [pfa] pic.twitter.com/DTFms9vvuX— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) September 5, 2022
“He’s a star, 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.”
Carvalho has only started once for Liverpool so far this season, out of seven appearances, but he has impressed whenever he has played for them, creating optimism for the future.
He has scored once this season: the winner in Liverpool’s late success over Newcastle United, and the former Fulham man will be hoping to add to that in the near future.
