Barry Lewtas has hailed the professionalism new signing Arthur Melo brought to Liverpool's U21s squad after the midfielder was handed his first start for the club during the 1-0 victory over Leicester City.
The Brazilian, who had not started a competitive fixture since May 11, made the move to Merseyside in the summer as J urgen Klopp' s injury crisis continued to grow with Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson all suffering problems before the transfer window closed on September 1.
With Klopp void of short-term options, he sanctioned a season-long loan for Arthur. However, the midfielder has only been used as a bit-part player thus far as he continues to work his way up to full fitness after not being involved in Juventus' pre-season tour of the United States.
READ MORE: The Roberto Firmino trait that has eased Jurgen Klopp concern over new Liverpool signings
And after the Reds' trip to Chelsea, scheduled for this weekend, was cancelled due to policing concerns ahead of the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen, and unsurprisingly left out of Brazil's squad for their upcoming international friendlies, Arthur was handed his start for the club during the U21s' clash at the Foxes' Seagrave-based training complex.
Lewtas admitted the decision to incorporate the 22-cap Brazilian into the fixture, which was settled by Layton Stewart's first-half strike, is one he welcomed with open arms and was made easier following the club's move to their state-of-the-art £50m AXA Training Centre in November 2020.
“They’re top-level professionals," Lewtas told Liverpoolfc.com, following the 1-0 victory. "They add to our group as well, not just in terms of our performance but our young lads get to see what elite looks like.
“That’s obviously what sometimes this group can do. We talk about it a lot: we’re in the same building, we work closely together on how we want to play."
Arthur wasn't the only member of Liverpool's first-team to be involved in the Premier League 2 victory, as defender Nat Phillips and Fabio Carvalho also turned out with the young Reds. With the former Bournemouth loanee not featuring since the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Anfield last month, and Carvalho working his way back from injury, it was a perfect opportunity to add experience to the new intake of players, according to Lewtas.
“It gives players an opportunity if they need minutes to come in and play some minutes and play in the way we play," added Lewtas. "So, it was really good.
“It works both ways. We can give them some minutes but they’re able to show us their professionalism and why they are where they are.”
READ NEXT:
- Liverpool plan for Arthur Melo is clear despite Jude Bellingham links and Thiago Alcantara return
- Roberto Firmino has played unseen role in helping Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez at Liverpool
- Chelsea sold the man who 'cost' Liverpool a Premier League title for £4.3m
- Liverpool urged to complete January transfer for midfielder and stop 'free' move to rivals
- Liverpool sent Jude Bellingham transfer warning as 'list of possible next clubs' emerges
