Former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho revealed he remains a fan of the club from afar and hasn’t been surprised by their impressive start to the season.

Now at Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, not only has he kept up with the Reds’ exploits under Arne Slot but believes silverware will be imminent at Anfield.

“For me, it’s normal [what they are doing] because Liverpool is one of the best teams in the Premier League and in Europe, so it’s not a surprise for me,” he said ahead of Thursday’s Derby of the Sea against Al-Ahly.

“I think they have everything they need to fight against Manchester City. Unfortunately, Man City is still the best team in the league, the team to beat, but Liverpool has everything to fight with them.

“Slot is doing a very good job at the moment so I really hope Liverpool will keep this until the end of the season and hopefully, it will bring some important trophies.”

Interestingly, his Al-Ittihad’s side next game contains an important Liverpool connection as it will see him come up against compatriot and old team-mate Roberto Firmino.

“He is one of the best friends I’ve made in football and is a very good player so I never like to play against him,” the former Monaco man added.

“I remember last season I tackled him, and it was a big tackle, and after the game he sent me a picture of his bruised ankle! [laughs]. I apologised and said ‘sorry Bobby’ but during the game I’m going to fight for my team. It is nice to be in the same city though and we see each other a lot.”

📸 PAUL ELLIS – null