A difficult first year as a Liverpool player for Fabio Carvalho is most succinctly explained by him being a victim of circumstances.
The Reds youngster officially completed his season-long loan switch to RB Leipzig on Thursday, joining the Bundesliga side for the 23/24 campaign in an effort to kick-start a career that has stalled since the turn of the year.
Carvalho was the subject of firm interest from the Premier League but a season away from the intense glare of England's top flight at a club with a good reputation for developing young players could be the perfect combination.
Fuelled by a desire to play more minutes, Carvalho was desperate to seek pastures new this summer on a temporary basis given the promise of game-time was something Jurgen Klopp simply couldn't give as the Reds boss continues to go about rebuilding his midfield department.
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Anfield sources are insistent that the move is only a short-term one aimed as helping Carvalho begin to fulfill his potential and it is hoped that his best years remain at Anfield following his £7m switch from Fulham last year.
There will likely be a private acceptance, however, that a strong showing in Germany from Carvalho will lead to Leipzig testing Liverpool's resolve further after seeing a bid of around £10m rejected earlier this month.
A 20% sell-on clause that was inserted into the deal with Fulham was perhaps a factor in the dismissal of such a sum but Carvalho is worth far more to Liverpool either as their player or sellable asset if he regains some form and momentum this coming campaign.
The writing has been on the wall for Carvalho for quite some time. Just one start since Christmas and only three substitute appearances since the start of 2023 has left the 20-year-old in little doubt that a move was needed to inject some impetus into his fledgling career.
The lack of faith from Klopp is not necessarily a reflection on him as a player, more the fact the Reds boss needed surety in his team selections as he tried in vain to chase down a place in the top four.
In an ideal world, Carvalho would have entered a Liverpool squad in buoyant mood from the 21/22 campaign's succes but the nature of that 63-game marathon cast a long shadow over too many at times, particularly in the early months.
Too many were out of sorts or injured and it was an unfair demand to expect a player who only turned 20 in late August to make up the shortfall, especially someone new to the squad who had not played in the Premier League previously.
A 98th-minute winner against Newcastle on a late August night, a day after his 20th birthday, was the highlight but generally, the versatile Carvalho struggled to show the kind of form that made him one of the most coveted teenagers in Europe at the turn of 2022. It's telling that his most recent Premier League start came in the 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest way back in October.
Liverpool moved late during the January transfer window last year and fended off competition from Borussia Dortmund and Porto, among others, in early February after running out of time on deadline day.
Sporting directors Julian Ward and Michael Edwards and Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon all worked on the deal to secure Carvalho and were said to be hugely impressed with how their Fulham counterparts of owner Tony Khan and CEO Alistair Mackintosh handled the negotiation process.
A major hurdle for Carvalho is the fact he is yet to nail down a preferred position in the Liverpool system under Klopp. The manager's decision to start him in a midfield three alongside Harvey Elliott and Fabinho in a goalless draw with Everton at Goodison Park in September yielded little and he was withdrawn at half time with a dead leg.
His diminutive frame, tight close control and ability to pick the key pass in the final third maybe point to a player best suited to a No.10 role that Liverpool haven't played with since Philippe Coutinho moved to Barcelona over five years ago.
“Obviously at Fulham, I played in more of the 10 role," Carvalho said last season. "Here it just depends on what formation that we play. But I also fancy the wing, because I’m creative enough to go one vs. one and create things.
“Like you said, I’m more than comfortable playing anywhere, but those two positions are where I want to play. He's (Klopp) always talking to me, he's always telling me what I should be doing and what I'm doing wrong which is just constructive criticism and that is how you improve.
"Him and his team are always trying to help and make sure we get everything we need to be good for game day. I've been playing more on the wing because we've got a lot of midfielders."
With a midfield overhaul still anticipated following the addition of Alexis Mac Allister and the fact that Klopp now has a five-man frontline department to choose for three positions up top, opportunities appear thin on the ground for Carvalho, even with the knowledge of a Europa League campaign to come.
His long-term future is still viewed at Liverpool but the next year of his development at Leipzig will be crucial to that either way.
