Former Arsenal player Patrick Vieira names Liverpool star who is similar to the Frenchman in his style of play
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Youtube channel (h/t Liverpool Echo), Patrick Vieira revealed that alongside N’Golo Kante and Granit Xhaka, the player who he sees himself in is Liverpool’s Fabinho.
Such praise, coming from a personality as humongous as Vieira is a great accolade for the Brazilian. Vieira, who now manages Premier League side Crystal Palace talked about Fabinho and praised the 28-year-old saying he makes the rest of the team “look really good”.
Vieira singled out Fabinho as a key player. According to the Frenchman, he “doesn’t get the credit he deserves”.
“Fabinho from Liverpool, I think he’s a team player who is working really hard to compose the hold in the team, he can play as well, he’s really comfortable on the ball. He’s a type of player you’re not going to notice, but they make everyone around them look really good.”
Vieira, during his time in the Premier League, won three league titles with Arsenal and made 400 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions. He retired from the sport in 2011, last having played for Manchester City. The 46-year-old was appointed as the manager of Crystal Palace in July 2021, after Roy Hogdson retired.
Fabinho joined the Reds from Vieira’s home country’s league; Ligue 1. The Reds signed the Brazilian from AS Monaco for £43.7m in 2018. Since then, he has been instrumental in Liverpool’s success over the years.
He has won all possible top-flight trophies at Merseyside and is a fan-favourite. More recently, he was dropped from the playing XI for the Manchester United fixture in which the Reds were handed a shock loss.
He returned to the playing XI, for the Bournemouth fixture, a game the Reds won 9-0. Altogether, it was a very convincing result for Liverpool and the supporters.
He signed a contract extension with the Reds last year, extending his stay at Liverpool until 2026. The Brazilian is one of the first names on the team sheet and has lived up to the trust Jurgen Klopp has instilled in him. He has featured 175 times for the Reds across all competitions since joining the Merseysiders.
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It is only natural for the club to rely on Fabinho in situations of unrest, but not having a natural backup or an understudy for the Brazilian can be a problem as it can make the former Real Madrid man a bit complacent; which we hope never happens.
