"Clearly telling the player he doesn't need him", "Woke up and chose violence" - Liverpool fans perplexed as Jurgen Klopp leaves out 26-year-old midfielder from squad entirely
Liverpool fans are questioning Arthur Melo's signing following the announcement of the Reds' starting XI against Rangers in their UEFA Champions League Group A clash on October 4.
Jurgen Klopp will be desperate for his team to kickstart their season with a win against the Scottish giants at Anfield. The Reds scored a last-minute winner against Ajax in their most recent Champions League encounter to claim their first European win of the campaign.
The clash against last season's Europa League finalists may come as a welcome distraction for Liverpool following their poor Premier League form. Their recent 3-3 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion was their latest setback and Klopp has made three changes from that stalemate.
Fabio Carvalho, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino all dropped out for Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez in an attacking-looking side. However, that selection means there is still no place for Arthur, who arrived on-loan from Juventus on transfer deadline day.
The 26-year-old Brazilian arrived on Merseyside in the midst of a midfield injury crisis that the club are still feeling the effects of. Arthur came with a big reputation having played for Juventus and Barcelona in recent times. However, he has made just one appearance for Liverpool since his move.
Arthur was even left out of the squad entirely in favor of having two goalkeepers on the bench. After the starting lineup was announced, Reds fans took to Twitter to question what the point of signing the Brazilian international was:
Pundit questions why Liverpool signed Juventus midfielder on loan
Arthur played and trained with the Reds' Under 23 side during the international break but clearly hasn't done enough to impress Klopp.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes that the German does not feel that his new central midfielder is fit enough to cope in his system. The former Tottenham Hotspur and England goalkeeper proclaimed (as per Football Insider):
"The loan bit is the strange one. If he is not ready and not going to be any use to you, you question the initial deal. There is clearly a problem that the manager thinks he is not ready and not fit. With the international break he has not had time off because he has been playing with the under-23s."
He added:
"So there is an issue with his match fitness and match sharpness. But you could put that tag on any Liverpool player at the moment, none of them look that sharp. The manager clearly is not happy with him and he wants to put some more time in before he utilises him."