Liverpool attacker Fabio Carvalho has admitted he is at odds with Arne Slot over his best position, but he will “work as hard as he can for him.”
Last season was a tumultuous campaign for Carvalho but, ultimately, it ended positively and he is now back at Liverpool to prove his worth under a new head coach.
With Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota unavailable, Arne Slot started Carvalho as a false-nine against Preston in the Reds’ first pre-season match.
Against Betis, though, the 21-year-old was moved to the left wing, the position Slot believes he should “try and settle” on.
Carvalho told reporters, including Paul Gorst of the Liverpool Echo: “We spoke about it and [Slot] told me to try and settle on the wing but obviously I know where I play best and I feel that is as a No. 10.”
This disagreement isn’t affecting the youngster’s commitment to the team, though.
“We’ve had a few conversations which I’m not going to go into detail about, but he wants me to get my head down and work hard and see where that goes,” Carvalho added.
“I’m just going to do what he wants me to do and just work as hard as I can for him. He’s giving me good instructions and motivating me a lot in training and giving me that confidence.
“Yeah [I want to make an impact], that’s what it is all about. Not just for me but for everyone involved.
“There’s good chances for the young players as well, for myself as well. It’s a good chance for everyone to put their foot down and stamp their mark.”
How did last season go?
Carvalho spent the first half of last season on loan at RB Leipzig, where he played just 360 minutes. After being recalled, he joined Tyler Morton at Hull and quickly became a fans’ favourite.
Speaking to This Is Anfield, Hull journalist Barry Cooper said: “He was brilliant. He gave Hull a different dimension and you could see his quality, his touch and his movement were often a level above.
“He bagged nine goals, though in truth, he should have had more. Former manager Liam Rosenior would often opt to play without a striker and Carvalho would be used as the false nine.
“Players like Carvalho are often a joy to watch and when he was on his game, he was no different.”
It is interesting that, unlike what Slot appears to plan on, Rosenior used Carvalho in a central position for the most part, starting him as a false-nine or No. 10.
Cooper added: “He was a pivotal figure, and as I mentioned above, was mainly used in the false nine preferred by Rosenior.
“He would swap and change positions with Ozan Tufan (attacking midfielder), with one going further forward and one dropping a little deeper which could be effective at times, but as a team, Hull did not score enough goals.”
