Arthur Melo makes two promising Liverpool requests to Jurgen Klopp

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Liverpool midfielder Arthur Melo is reportedly going all out to regain match fitness as he bids to make an impression on Jurgen Klopp. The deadline day signing has snubbed the prospect of extra days off over the international break and asked to play for the Under-21s after making a slow start to life at Anfield. 

The Reds were compelled to delve into the transfer market on deadline day with Jordan Henderson’s hamstring injury posing concerns in midfield. Out-of-favour Juventus star Arthur wound up on Merseyside after striking an initial £3.9million loan deal, with the option to make it permanent next summer for £32m. 

There were rumours, just two weeks into his stint, that Klopp had already made up his mind on Arthur and he would be sent back to Serie A in January. The Liverpool manager has since denied those claims, however, and it appears as though the 26-year-old is doing all in his power behind the scenes to make an impact. 

According to The Daily Mail, Arthur has requested to train every day over the international break instead of taking extra time off, while he has also asked to feature for the U21s in a bid to get up to speed. 

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The Brazilian international has only played 13 minutes since signing for the Reds, coming on as a substitute in their Champions League hiding away to Napoli. He did, however, take the promising step of starting for the U21s on Saturday in a 1-0 win over Leicester City. 

Head coach Barry Lewtas praised Arthur, as well as fellow first-team stars Nat Phillips and Fabio Carvalho, who also turned out for the U21s, for their impact on the youngsters. “They’re top-level professionals,” he said.

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“They add to our group as well, not just in terms of our performance but our young lads get to see what elite looks like. That’s obviously what sometimes this group can do. We talk about it a lot: we’re in the same building, we work closely together on how we want to play.”

Arthur fell completely out of favour at parent club Juventus and wasn’t included in their pre-season tour of the United States, which is partly why it has taken him longer to establish match fitness. With this weekend’s tie against Chelsea postponed in the wake of the Queen’s death, the midfielder has an extended break during which he can show Klopp that he is ready for more responsibility. 

Liverpool left it late to beat Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday with Joel Matip’s header rendering Mohammed Kudus’ stunning equaliser meaningless. Arthur remained an unused substitute with Harvey Elliott, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara starting in the middle of the park. 

Arthur came through the ranks at Brazilian side Gremio but moved to Barcelona in 2018, impressing for two years and earning a big-money move to Juventus. His progress faltered in Turin, however, making just 20 goalless Serie A appearances last campaign. 

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