“He is the one shining example of a player who has got everything” – Michael Owen singles out Liverpool star for special praise 

Former Premier League striker Michael Owen has lavished praise on Liverpool midfielder Fabinho for his quality on the pitch. Owen singled out the Brazil international out of all the Reds' midfielders.

Owen said (via HITC):

“He is the one shining example of a player who has got everything. He’s the right age, he’s the right quality, he’s always fit and healthy. You look down the list of other players. Naby Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain, injury prone maybe, Milner and Henderson are getting on and then you have Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott who are younger players. He is the right one."

The Englishman reiterated the urgency for Fabinho to get back to his stellar form with Jurgen Klopp's men struggling to find consistency so far this season. He added:

“He has to get back to form otherwise that becomes a very weak area of the team.”

Fabinho was left out of Liverpool's starting XI for their Premier League fixture against Arsenal on October 9. The Reds lost that game 3-2 after Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka ran riot at the Emirates. Martinelli opened the scoring with a goal in the first minute, while Saka bagged a brace, securing all three points for the Gunners.

Fabinho has made 182 appearances across competitions for Liverpool, scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists. The Brazilian has been an integral aspect of Klopp's domestic and European triumphs.

“A huge concern in midfield" - Michael Owen shares thoughts on deteriorating Liverpool midfield

The former Liverpool striker also pointed out issues in the Reds' current squad, citing the aging players in midfield as a problem.

He said (via another HITC report):

“You can pick holes in every single player. Milner is 36. End of story. He won’t be around for long. Jordan Henderson, the same. Name a game where he plays the full 90 minutes. Thiago gets injured a lot and is in his 30's."

Owen continued:

"Oxlade-Chamberlain. Injured a lot and he’s approaching 30. Fabinho is probably the one player where I say ‘yeah, nail your colours to that mast’. But he is performing averagely so far this season. Keita is injury prone and question marks whether he’s good enough. Then Arthur is on-loan and Curtis Jones is a youngster."

Owen also spoke about Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, one of Europe's most sought-after talents, and a player who has been heavily linked with Liverpool:

“The Jude Bellingham is somebody they really have their eye on for next summer. But they’re not the only ones. The more he plays, the harder it will be to get him.”