Arthur Melo and two other Liverpool first-team players make shock appearances for under-21s

Arthur Melo makes an appearance for Liverpool under-21s against Leicester City in Premier League 2 tonight.

The midfielder joined the Reds on a season-long loan from Juventus on transfer deadline day.

Arthur was short of fitness when he arrived, having been surplus to requirements at the Old Lady before his move to Anfield.

And to improve his chances of making an impact for Jurgen Klopp’s side after the international break, he drops down to play for the under-21s away at Leicester for minutes.

With Liverpool’s trip to Chelsea tomorrow postponed due to the Queen’s funeral taking place on Monday, Klopp’s opted to give Arthur a much-needed runout.

The Brazil international is joined by Fabio Carvalho and Nat Phillips against the Foxes.

Carvalho has recently recovered from a knee injury he suffered in the 0-0 draw against Everton.

The attacking midfielder, 20, has made a bright start to his Liverpool career after joining from Fulham in the summer.

Meanwhile, Phillips has been on the fringes of the Reds’ squad and made one outing so far this campaign.

The centre-back is behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez in the pecking order, while Ibrahima Konate is currently out injured.

Stefan Bajcetic, who has been a regular on the first-team bench this season, also features for the under-21s.

Liverpool under-21s: Davies; Mabaya, Jonas, Phillips, Chambers; Bajcetic, Cain, Arthur; Clark, Carvalho, Stewart.