Fabio Carvalho joined Brentford in a deal worth up to £27.5 million and has shared the “feeling” that made him realise he wouldn’t get the game time he desired at Liverpool.
The 21-year-old signed for Brentford earlier this month and made his debut off the bench in the opening game of the Premier League season.
Although he played just six minutes, Carvalho received a warm reception from the Brentford crowd after their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace and quickly joined in the post-match celebrations.
Carvalho is one of several young players who have moved on this summer.
Despite a positive pre-season, he was aware that the return of more senior players would limit his opportunities.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Carvalho expressed his affection for Liverpool but acknowledged that he couldn’t afford to “sit on the bench.”
When asked if he felt he had a role to play at Anfield, Fabio Carvalho said: “I did.
“I thought I did alright [in pre-season], to be fair.
“But as a footballer, you get that feeling where you know certain players aren’t back and when they come back things change.
“You sort of get that feeling and when that happens you’re like, yeah, this is the real deal and it’s like I’m not just going to stay at Liverpool.
“As much as I love the club, it’s one of the best clubs in the world and I’ve got nothing but love for the fans, but I’m not going to sit on the bench because what’s the point?”
He added: “It was a different conversation from any conversation I’ve had in the past because it wasn’t just, ‘Come here, this is the plan’.
“There was so much detail going into what you’re good at, what you can improve, where we can see you, where we think you should be and where you’re at.
“I could tell there was so much effort going into that. I was like, if they’re putting effort in that then they’ll put effort with me every day I come in.
“That’s what you want as a footballer.
“You want to come into an environment where you feel wanted and you’re going to improve and enjoy improving because that is fundamentally the most important [thing].”
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