Fabio Carvalho suffers new RB Leipzig low as he’s beaten by Liverpool team-mate during loan

It was a transfer designed to bolster his chances of becoming a future Liverpool first-team regular. But some three months after leaving Anfield, Fabio Carvalho's spell at RB Leipzig is still to gain any sort of momentum.

Signed by the Reds from Fulham for a fee of around £7 million in the summer of 2022, Carvalho endured a difficult maiden season at Anfield. In 2022-23, the attacking midfielder managed 21 appearances for Jurgen Klopp's side and scored three goals. Towards the end of the campaign, however, he was well down the pecking order and consistently omitted from match-day squads.

Liverpool made the decision to send Carvalho on loan to Leipzig for the 2023-24 season. It was widely agreed that a switch to the German side was a wise choice as he'd be playing both top-flight and Champions League football. The Reds’ rapport with the Saxony outfit is a cordial one, with Ibrahima Konate and Dominik Szboszlai being signed from Leipzig and making swift impressions.

Carvalho has played nine times for Leipzig so far but only two have been starts. And for Die Roten Bullen's 2-0 loss to Mainz, the 21-year-old was an unused substitute.

Certainly, there would have been frustration for Carvalho. But there was at the Mewa Arena - yet there was joy aplenty for another Liverpool fledgling talent in Sepp van den Berg. The centre-back featured for the entire 90 minutes as Mainz recorded their maiden win of the campaign and move off the summit of the Bundesliga table.

After missing a significant period of last term through injury while on loan at Stuttgart, van den Berg has been a key player for Klopp's former side Mainz - who are currently managerless after the sacking of Bo Svensson. The Dutchman has made 12 appearances to date and started the previous five league games.