Arthur Melo only arrived at Anfield a fortnight ago, but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is already mulling over whether or not to cut the Brazilian's loan spell short, it has been claimed.
The Reds were forced to dip back into the transfer market after Klopp was left with a dearth of midfield options as a result of an accumulation of injuries. And with Liverpool desperately in need of a short-term contingency plan, Arthur, who had previously been heavily linked to Arsenal, appeared to fit the bill.
Klopp had stressed that fans would need to be patient with the 26-year-old, who has not played much football this year. "Arthur needs now just football - and training, especially, that's how it is," Klopp said earlier this month.
"He wasn't in team training for a while at Juve, so he needs proper team training - and that's what we are doing with him. Can he play minutes? Yes. Should he play a full game? No, because he needs to get used to the intensity in each competition.
"It's not like in the Champions League you have to work less than in the Premier League. Not at all, especially not here. He is doing well, he is really giving his absolute all in training, we have to be careful with him as well and then we will see whether we can use him."
But it appears that stance has already changed, with Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb reporting that the Reds chief has already decided that Arthur is not up to the task - and that Liverpool could make the decision to terminate the season-long deal in January, just two weeks after the midfielder's arrival.
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Arthur's only taste of action since moving to Anfield was a brief 13-minute cameo in the chastening 4-1 defeat against Napoli in the Champions League last week.
And with Thiago Alcantara now back in the fold and a chance to get more bodies back into the fold during the upcoming international break, Arthur could find himself starved of action until the New Year.
If Liverpool do decide to send Arthur back to Juventus early, then the Reds could still open their chequebook in the winter window - something that seemed unlikely when Klopp talked up Arthur's abilities after acquiring the midfielder on deadline day.
Speaking after the deal to bring Arthur to Anfield had been confirmed, the Reds chief said: "What does he bring? He's a really good footballer – I think we all agree on that... he can give rhythm, he's a really good passer, has speed with the ball, safe on the ball and, how I said, can demand rhythm, which is pretty important, really good in tight areas – all these kind of things. I like it a lot."
