LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 27, 2022: Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp (R) embraces Fabio Carvalho after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. Liverpool won 9-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool fans back Fabio Carvalho to replace Luis Diaz – “Could bring out his best”

With Luis Diaz now facing two months out with a knee injury, Liverpool fans are hoping summer signing Fabio Carvalho can step up in his absence.

The Reds were dealt the bitter news on Monday evening that Diaz is set to be sidelined until after the World Cup, having suffered a knee injury at Arsenal.

Liverpool’s No. 23 is expected to be back in time to join the squad for their mid-season training camp in Dubai, and could make his return against Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

In the meantime, though, Jurgen Klopp will need to find a solution, with the manager already suggesting that he could ditch his new 4-4-2 setup having “lost one important part of it.”

Whether in a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, however, Klopp may have a useful replacement for Diaz in Carvalho, who has featured in only one of the last four games – being brought off at half-time in the 3-3 draw with Brighton.

That is the opinion of many supporters, who took to Twitter following the news of Diaz’s layoff to back the Portuguese to fill in.

https://twitter.com/CalmLikeVanDijk/status/1579363532810117120

https://twitter.com/jastricks06/status/1579715173245681666


Carvalho has seemingly become a victim of Liverpool’s dreadful form of late, with his half-time withdrawal against Brighton seeing him then overlooked for the clashes with Rangers and Arsenal.

But the loss of Diaz certainly opens up more opportunities for the 20-year-old – who scored in back-to-back games at the end of August – either on the wing or in his more natural central role.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 27, 2022: Liverpool's Fábio Carvalho celebrates after scoring the eighth goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. Liverpool won 9-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Diogo Jota is the most suitable candidate to replace Diaz on the left, leaving a spot alongside the striker in a 4-4-2, which is similar to the position Carvalho filled for Fulham.

Supporting Aleksandar Mitrovic as a No. 10 in the Championship last season, the youngster scored 10 goals and assisted eight in 36 appearances.

Klopp may be required to experiment following this latest injury blow, and he could do much worse than seeing if Carvalho can replicate that form in the weeks to come.