Liverpool midfielder Arthur Melo could be handed another opportunity to impress Jurgen Klopp should he be selected for the under-21’s side ahead of their EFL Trophy group stage fixture against Rochdale tonight.
The Brazilian arrived on a season-long loan deal from Juventus on transfer deadline day but has been restricted to just 13 minutes of action after appearing off the bench in the 4-1 defeat to Napoli in their Champions League Group A opener on September 7.
Reports quickly emerged that Klopp had become unimpressed with his new signing and was planning on sending him back to Juventus in January, but Arthur has since featured for the U21 side and could have a second chance to impress his manager tonight.
According to the Liverpool ECHO, Arthur could be one of three first team players to appear for the U21’s tonight, with Fabio Carvalho and Nat Phillips also in contention to feature, as he looks to build up his fitness and get back to his best form ahead of the rest of the season.
The trio all started for the U21’s in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Leicester City in the Premier League 2, and with Barry Lewtas set to be without a number of his young stars due to the international break, Arthur, Phillips and Carvalho are on course to feature once more.
20-year-old Carvalho is already eligible to feature but two players over the age of 21 are also allowed to be included. However, 33-year-old Jay Spearing, is another possibility as a registered overage player with the U21s despite returning to the club as an U18 coach this summer.
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Should Spearing be selected, then Arthur may be left out, but it nonetheless presents him with another huge chance to impress Klopp tonight, especially following recent rumours of the German already debating sending his new signing back to Juventus in January.
Arthur arrived on Merseyside on deadline day as an emergency signing following early season injuries to Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Thiago has only recently returned from a lengthy issue himself.
But the Brazilian midfielder also has a worrying injury record and didn’t play a huge deal of football for Juventus last season. After missing 13 games in total through injury, he also failed to hold down a regular starting spot and completed a full 90 minutes on just eight occasions throughout the campaign.
The Daily Mail have recently reported that Arthur is undergoing a rigorous training programme in a bid to fit into Klopp's first team plans, in which he has personally requested to feature for the U21’s and is doing double training sessions following a disrupted pre-season.
The report also adds that, as a result of his work ethic, Liverpool staff were so pleased with his application that Klopp and his coaches congratulated him after a session early last week and offered further words of encouragement as he shows greater understanding of their demands and system.
Arthur may not be up to speed with the rest of the team but he is doing all that he can to ensure Klopp knows he can count on him throughout the season, and should his performances eventually match his efforts on the training ground, it is hoped that his future at the club remains bright.
