Fabio Carvalho hasn’t taken long to forge a reputation at Liverpool. A mere matter of weeks into his Anfield career, the youngster has already become something of a marked man.
Twice inside the opening two minutes, Carvalho was taken out by Salzburg right-back Ignace Van der Brempt, with the latter challenge resulting in one of the earliest bookings there can have ever been during a pre-season friendly.
Jurgen Klopp, leaping from the touchline to berate the defender, wasn’t happy. The Reds boss, though, will have been a lot more content with the overall performance of the summer signing from Fulham.
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Sure, there were flashes of inexperience, holding on to the ball a little too long at times and asking a bit too much of his team-mates with some overly-ambitious passing. But Carvalho continues to show why he doesn’t look out of place in his new surrounds.
And, as Van der Brempt soon discovered, he keeps coming back for more, embarrassing the Belgian with an audacious nutmeg the packed Red Bull Arena fully appreciated. Such an attitude will surely stand Carvalho in good stead for the challenges ahead.
The 19-year-old featured in a predominantly second-string starting line-up in Austria that saw him join former Fulham colleague Harvey Elliott and fellow summer signing Darwin Nunez in the forward line.
Playing on the right wing, Elliott, similar to Carvalho, enjoyed some good moments in possession even if the feeling remains he is better suited to a midfield role at present.
It was, though, a frustrating evening for Nunez, who worked himself into a succession of decent shooting positions only to be let down by either a loose touch, some committed Salzburg defending or solid goalkeeping.
Arguably his most difficult chance, when played inside the right-hand edge of the area by an Isaac Mabaya pass, saw him thrash an effort against the crossbar from a tight angle.
Carvalho, of course, will be anything but an unknown quantity when Liverpool begin the Premier League season on Saturday week at his old Craven Cottage stomping ground.
But against the rest of the top flight, the youngster could provide the unpredictability needed of any aspirational team. Even if, as Salzburg proved, Carvalho is already making a name for himself.
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