It’s safe to say Arthur Melo’s loan move to Liverpool has not worked out, so far at least. Signed on transfer deadline day from Juventus last summer, the Brazilian was ultimately brought in out of desperation with the Reds in need of reinforcements in midfield.
Yet lacking match fitness at the time of his arrival, the 26-year-old was limited to 13 minutes of action from the bench in the Champions League defeat to Napoli, along with three unused substitute appearances and a 63-minute run-out in the EFL Trophy at Rochdale, before suffering a thigh injury in training in October that required surgery and has kept him sidelined ever since.
In Arthur’s absence, Liverpool’s midfield woes have only worsened. While Jurgen Klopp has welcomed the majority of his options back from injury, it has become increasingly clear that the Reds need fresh legs in their engine room with their current options not reaching the desired standards.
