Fabio Carvalho made his unofficial debut for Liverpool on Tuesday as he started the 4-0 friendly loss to Man United, describing it as a “bittersweet moment.”
Carvalho was among the first lineup of the summer as the Reds took on United in Bangkok, with Jurgen Klopp naming three different XIs for the pre-season opener.
The talk before kickoff was exactly where the £7.7 million signing would line up, and it was on the left of a three-man midfield that he took up duties, joining Jordan Henderson and Tyler Morton.
He was bright and busy throughout his half-hour outing, linking up well with Luis Diaz before being replaced by Leighton Clarkson in the 30th minute.
After waiting a long time to secure his move to Anfield, it was a big milestone for the 19-year-old, but speaking to LFCTV after the defeat, Carvalho reflected on a “bittersweet moment.”
“It was a bittersweet moment for me, one of my first games for Liverpool. Hopefully, the first of many,” he said.
“I’m sure we will be working on the pitch to rectify that next time we play against them.”
Liverpool’s new No. 28 could have marked his bow with a well-taken goal, only for his deft finish to somehow bounce back off the post during a hectic spell in the United penalty area.
“I thought I had [scored]!” Carvalho continued.
“I had the chance obviously, hit the post. Next game I’m sure I’ll get the goal.”
That next game will come against Crystal Palace in Kallang, Singapore on Friday afternoon, and Carvalho is adamant that Liverpool can avoid making the same mistakes again.
“That’s the point we’re at, to be fair,” he assessed, with Liverpool a week behind United in their preparations and in no way seeing the result as a failure.
“When you play against one of the best teams in the country, you get punished if you make mistakes.
“Hopefully, next game, we can put everything to bed.”
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