Carvalho: I needed to make the decision to leave Liverpool

A philosophical Fabio Carvalho says he well and truly understood where he was placed in the Liverpool squad and for that reason it made the decision to depart an easy one.

Last week the former Fulham attacking utility player returned to West London to join Brentford for a transfer fee of £27.5 million on a five-year deal.

The 22 year-old had a 2023/4 season of contrasts, from the wretched time in Germany at RB Leipzig where he constantly struggled for game time, to a spell at Hull City where he displayed the kind of attributes that alerted the likes of Liverpool in the first place.

With Liverpool taking a ‘wait and see’ approach to any summer incomings, there was a view that Carvalho could force his way into first team contention especially as Arne Slot was carefully assessing the squad for the first time.

But despite some lively preseason performances, as more players arrived back from their breaks after international tournaments, it became evident to the Portuguese U21 international that he would have to look at other options in his quest to build a career as he told Sky Sports.

“I thought I would get opportunities this season, but you get that feeling where you know certain players aren't back. When they come back, things change.

"As soon as you get that feeling, you're like, look, this is the real deal. I'm not just going to stay at Liverpool as much as I love the club.

“I can sit here and say, 'yeah, I should have played more', but things happen for a reason, and I'm sure they were meant to happen that way."

Despite only making 21 senior appearances for Liverpool, he does not regret making the big move for a second.

“I've learned so much from just being there, being around the great players that are there and just having that experience of training with them every day, which ultimately fuels me to want to reach that level.”

For all the perks that comes with being a modern day Footballer, there are times when their confidence drops and they need a boost which is where the half season spell at Hull was so pivotal for Carvalho.

“I'll be honest with you, it made me fall back in love with football again. I think it's something that I struggled with a bit.

"Being at Liverpool, one of the best clubs in the world, not playing, going to Germany, being by myself, not playing. It takes a lot out of a player.

"But going to Hull, it was just playing every week, which is all you need. And Liam Rosenior helped me so much, most of the credit is down to him.

"It just made me enjoy playing football, which is ultimately what I love doing. I'm at my happiest when I'm playing."