Champions League final: Liverpool midfielder Fabinho identifies game which changed his Anfield career

Midfielder struggled to adapt to Premier League after joining from Monaco

Fabinho believes he has turned his Liverpool career around after some initial teething problems, and pinpoints his display in the victory over Manchester United at Anfield in December as the critical moment.

The £43.7m summer signing, who is expected to start Saturday’s Champions League final, has hardly looked back since impressing in a 3-1 win that ended Jose Mourinho’s United tenure.

But Fabinho did not start any of Liverpool’s first eight league games and only made his full debut in late October, in a Champions League group stage victory over Red Star Belgrade.

Jurgen Klopp claimed that the midfielder needed time to adapt to Liverpool’s system, and such concerns were vindicated by an underwhelming display at Arsenal in early November.

Fabinho admitted this week that the 1-1 draw at the Emirates was a chastening experience for him, but he believes he turned the corner a month later.

“I knew it would be difficult and there would be times when I would be out of the team,” he said. “In terms of adapting, there was a lot of preparation and a lot of hard work.

“The two games in particular that stood out for me was the game against Arsenal [at the Emirates] - that's when I really understood the speed of the Premier League and the attention to detail that is required.

“And in terms of building my confidence, the stand-out game was against Manchester United.

“It was probably one of the best of the season. I managed to get an assist in that game and I really kept up with the rhythm and pace. I think we were much superior than Manchester United.”

Upon his high-profile arrival from Monaco last summer, Fabinho might have expected to slot directly into Klopp’s midfield, but he never felt he had made a mistake by moving to Anfield.

“No, for me it was never in doubt that I'd made the right choice,” he said. “Not every player transfers to a new club and gets straight into the team, as was my case.

“Everybody told me that's how the coach works. New players are not automatically thrown into the first team straight away.”

Fabinho also admitted that he particularly struggled with the intensity of Premier League football and the short recovery times required in order to play two or three games in a week.

“Before I came here the English league stood out as really fast and physical, and also having a really great set-up. I've seen that playing here.

“All the stadiums that we play at are really well organised and the passion that people have for the football. Playing here, you see the intensity and the high quality of all the teams you come up against.

“What also caught my attention when I came here were the recovery times,” he added. “That was difficult for me at first, the recovery times between games, but that's an area I've improved in and that's really helped me settle in to the Premier League.”

Liverpool announced the signing of Fabinho less than 48 hours after their defeat in last year’s Champions League final to Real Madrid.

“I watched it and at the time I knew I was coming here to Liverpool. I didn't really think about where I'd fit into the team or my position,” he said. “I was watching it as a fan, so I wasn't really focusing tactically. What really captured me was the passion of the fans and I wanted Liverpool to win.”