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What's the story?
Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has dismissed exit rumours and stated that he is ready to fight for his place in Jurgen Klopp's side. The 25-year-old has acknowledged the fact that he had to wait for his chance and added that he is happy with his role in the side.
In case you didn't know...
After over three successful years with AS Monaco, Fabinho switched to Liverpool over the summer transfer window for £43.7 million in what went down as a stunning swoop by the Merseyside club.
However, opportunities had been hard to come by for the Brazilian until last month or so, as he didn't feature in Liverpool's first eight league games. Klopp too, mentioned that his new signing needed 'time to adapt' to the system and setup of the team.
The heart of the matter
He seems to have found his feet now after a couple of impressive performances in the middle of the park, especially in the derby against the Toffees.
The former Real Madrid man has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain already but has now cleared the air on the rumour. Speaking to UOL, he said:
"I was told there was something in the press, but I never said I would like to leave Liverpool. I knew I would need to have patience to wait for my moment. I am happy at Liverpool. There is no reason for me to leave."
He further continued:
"[Klopp] did not give me a lot of explanations but I concentrated on my work in training and stayed focused on my work, without letting my head drop. I tried to work because I knew opportunities would come. Now I just want to increase my number of games.
"In the last few matches I have played more and I believe that [I am] playing a good role. Since football is very intense here, I have to be very well prepared when the opportunity arises."
Video: Fabinho is synonymous to solidity
What's next?
At the moment, the fight for a place in Klopp's three-man midfield is quite a battle. However, Fabinho is expected to get some game time under his belt due to the strenuous nature of the fixture list during the Christmas period.
Meanwhile, Liverpool travel to Burnley as they look to keep pace with Manchester City. Following that outing, they will play out an away game against Bournemouth on Saturday.
