By David Lynch, Merseyside Correspondent

4th Mar, 2023 | 8:30am

David Lynch Column: Fabinho could lead to Liverpool midfield rethink in unexpected twist

Just as he had not shied away from admitting Fabinho’s form had dipped severely earlier this season, Jurgen Klopp was all too happy to discuss his recent Liverpool recovery on Friday.

Having taken a few tentative steps forward of late, the Brazilian put in arguably his best performance of the campaign thus far as Wolves were beaten in midweek.

And his manager openly acknowledged that this upturn had been a long time coming when speaking ahead of his side’s meeting with Manchester United on Sunday.

He said: “It’s obvious. Everybody could see he wasn’t at his best, and now everybody can see he’s getting back. That’s exactly what we need.

“Things like this happen and you can’t always explain it, so I was so happy with the last game as it was exactly how we used to have him.

“There comes a point where you take these things for granted. Of course you miss them when they are not there.

“We don’t have five number sixes at the club either, so I am really happy for him – and for us – that he looks like his old self again.”

Klopp has previously compared Fabinho’s struggles to those of Marcus Rashford, who has roared back into form to help rejuvenate Manchester United this season.

And the German has good reason to hope that a similar renaissance is on the cards for a player who has been so key to recent successes.

For starters, the financial disparity between Europe and the Premier League would make shifting a player who signed a lucrative new deal in the summer of 2021 – that runs until 2026 – extremely difficult.

Meanwhile, a midfield that is already facing major surgery when Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and possibly James Milner depart this summer could do without losing another body.

The recent emergence of Stefan Bajcetic is considered a helpful boost of course, while the likes of Jude Bellingham and Mason Mount are among Liverpool’s targets.

However, the Reds cannot afford to give up on attempts to rehabilitate Fabinho if they are to avoid an already vital summer becoming more expensive than it already needs to be.

In other news, Sources: Liverpool set for ‘big’ pre-season change after devastating injury blows.