Liverpool are two days away from their next pre-season friendly against RB Leipzig and Jurgen Klopp must ramp up Fabio Carvalho’s development.
The exciting 19-year-old has already shown glimpses of his ability and promise.
Against Manchester United, he showcased the potential for a thrilling partnership on the left flank with Luis Diaz.
While comparisons can often make things more difficult for new signings, I can’t help but dream of a new version of the partnership that Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane had in 2018.
The two former Liverpool stars were stunning for Liverpool and in the six months before he transferred to Barcelona, Coutinho was simply stunning.
Despite playing only six months of the season before his switch to Camp Nou, Coutinho scored 10 goals and assisted 10.
The Brazilian was my favourite player at the time with his Samba magic bewitching defenders.
His departure felt like it would cripple all the good work that Jurgen Klopp had done until that point but it was the opposite.
It made way for Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Fabinho to join the club and since then, Liverpool have won all the biggest trophies available to them.
Now, with Carvalho and Diaz showing signs of forming a magical partnership down the left-hand flank, I can’t help myself from imagining the havoc they may wreak in the Premier League this season.
They contributed to a total of 50 goals for Liverpool and Fulham last season. If Jurgen Klopp is able to have them reach that mark for the Reds this term, he will be onto a winning combination.
Diaz was phenomenal in his first half season with the Reds and with Liverpool fans yet to see him play a campaign from start to finish, the 2022/23 season feels all the more exciting.
We’re going to see Diaz at his best for 12 months, Darwin Nunez leading the line, Carvalho starring in a unique role, Calvin Ramsay pushing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harvey Elliott back at full fitness.
The Englishman also feels like a new signing after his 21/22 season was interrupted by a nasty ankle ligament injury. He looks really sharp in all the pre-season training videos on LFCTV GO and in the two friendlies so far.