Liverpool star enlists special help in bid to break into Jurgen Klopp’s plans amid rocky start

Liverpool star Arthur Melo is taking steps to make sure he can compete for a place in the Reds midfield.
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Liverpool star Arthur Melo appears to be determinded to prove people wrong at Anfield.

It has been a tricky few years for the midfielder, who rocked up at Juventus as part of an inflated swap deal involving Barcelona and Miralem Pjanic.

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At Juventus, Arthur endured a tough spell as part of Juventus’ difficult run, winning two domestic cups, but failing to win the Serie A title.

This summer, he was loaned out to Liverpool, who found themselves in desperate need of a midfielder.

But he has featured sparingly so far, settling for a cameo in the Champions League and no Premier League appearances.

There have been reports that Liverpool are unimpressed with Arthur and his fitness, and indeed that they could send him back early in January.

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But Jurgen Klopp has since played down that talk, saying: “Arthur needs now just football - and training, especially, that’s how it is.

“He wasn’t in team training for a while at Juve, so he needs proper team training - and that’s what we are doing with him. Can he play minutes? Yes. Should he play a full game? No, because he needs to get used to the intensity in each competition.

Arthur Melo in action for Liverpool under-21s against Rochdale. Picture: Lewis Storey/Getty ImagesArthur Melo in action for Liverpool under-21s against Rochdale. Picture: Lewis Storey/Getty Images
Arthur Melo in action for Liverpool under-21s against Rochdale. Picture: Lewis Storey/Getty Images

“It’s not like in the Champions League you have to work less than in the Premier League. Not at all, especially not here. He is doing well, he is really giving his absolute all in training, we have to be careful with him as well and then we will see whether we can use him.”

But amid those reports of poor fitness, The Times report Arthur has enlisted the help of a physiotherapist, a nutritionist and a fitness coach to work with daily in a bid to get up to speed.

That could be an important step for the midfielder as he looks to break into Klopp’s plans.

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