Fabinho opens up on deputizing for Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool's £39 million signing was replacing Virgil van Dijk by slotting inbrilliantly at the heart of the Reds back-line against Bayern Munich. The 25-year-old revealed he had the biggest boots to fill after taking the torch from suspended star Virgil van Dijk. “I was concerned in the beginning of my time here because I was not playing so much,” Fabinho said to Brazilian TV channel Esporte Interativo . "But now I'm playing a lot and performing well. “It’s not easy to replace the best centre-back in the world. “We had some time to train in Spain. I got used to the position and we improved the communication between Joel, Robertson, Henderson and me. “We know Bayern have a great attack and it was important to keep the clean sheet.” Fabinho even earned high praise from a former Manchester United centre-back. Rio Ferdinand, “I thought he was fantastic,” said pundit Ferdinand on BT Sport . “I think for any player to come into the backline in such a big game, with all eyes on him and especially having to replace the talisman, the best player in Virgil van Dijk, he did an admirable job. “I thought every question asked of him he answered well, in the right way. He was aggressive when he needed to be. “These kind of players are invaluable to a team; someone who can fill in, in variable positions – he can play right back, centre-half now, centre midfield. “He scores goals and he’s having a great impact on this team. Very, very positive.”

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