Liverpool get welcome boost as forgotten midfielder set to return from injury ahead of schedule
Fabrizio Romano has provided a positive update on the injury of Liverpool player Arthur Melo, who joined on a season-long loan from Juventus in September.
The 26-year-old midfielder is yet to play a single minute in the Premier League this season, after picking up a muscle injury just two weeks into his spell at Anfield.
But his return will be good news for Jurgen Klopp, who needs more quality in the middle of the park if they want to push for a Champions League spot this season.
On Sunday, Romano broke the good news to Reds fans on Twitter.
He said: “Positive news for Arthur. Brazilian midfielder will try to be back within the end of the month after first, positive medical check. New tests have been already scheduled in the next days/weeks but Arthur is pushing to return earlier than expected.”
Romano later added: “More on Arthur: he’d return in training at the end of December but to see him on the pitch and in good condition it could take one more month, likely end of January. Liverpool staff wants no mistakes with Arthur’s recovery and wants him 100% fit before playing again.”
A much-needed boost for Jurgen Klopp
The news comes as somewhat of a surprise given Arthur was expected to be out for several more months.
There was even talk of Liverpool cutting his loan deal short against Klopp’s wishes in November, but the Reds later decided to give the Brazilian a chance to regain fitness.
Given this news, Arthur could end up playing an important role in Liverpool’s season after all.
Recently, Klopp been relying upon the likes of Harvey Elliot in midfield, who, although may be an excellent prospect, is not someone they would have envisaged having to play week in, week out.
Also, Fabinho has had some uncharacteristically poor games this season, while Thiago has shown flashes of brilliance but hasn’t been that consistent either.
In terms of what Arthur can offer to Liverpool upon his return, the Brazilian ended his previous season with Juve with an impressive passing accuracy of 89.4%, the fourth-highest at the club.
Evidently, he is excellent in possession. Beyond this, he also supplied 2.2 successful long balls and 0.3 key passes per match, something that could prove effective with Liverpool’s lightning-fast playing style.
Arthur also has excellent defensive attributes. Last season, he averaged 1.3 tackles per game and 0.4 interceptions, showing he is very effective when used in a number-six role.
Overall, he helped Juve to 11 clean sheets in 31 appearances.
With all this in mind, this update from Romano is a positive one.
However, Reds fans will still be gutted with the news that Luis Diaz is going to be out with an injury he picked up in training last week.
It’s clear that Klopp is looking some new additions in January to help fill the gaps in his team, but Arthur could certainly be a key new asset moving forward.
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