Following reports of the club and Jurgen Klopp being prepared to sever ties with Arthur Melo in January after only enjoying a brief cameo for Liverpool in the 4-1 defeat against Napoli, one could forgive the Brazilian for feeling a little miffed.
That being said, few will be tempted to question his commitment to the cause after learning of his efforts to catch up with his new teammates by actively engaging in extra work.
“Arthur has asked to play for the club’s U21s and is doing double sessions as he tries to get up to speed with his new team-mates following a disrupted pre-season,” Simon Jones wrote for the Daily Mail.
The 26-year-old arrived in Merseyside in good nick, despite some claims to the contrary, though has some ground to cover to get up to a standard befitting a Reds star.
“The former Barcelona player readily admitted he was not where he wanted to be fitness-wise but double training sessions and extra gym work have helped him make up ground in recent days,” the reporter added.
“Indeed, Liverpool staff were so pleased with his application that Klopp and his coaches congratulated him after a session early last week and offered further words of encouragement as he shows greater understanding of their demands and system.
“Arthur in turn has asked if he can gain extra playing time with the club’s U21s. He has also shunned extra days off during the forthcoming international break and has asked to stay instead to train every day.”
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It seems that the former Barcelona star has absolutely no intention of being merely ‘another body’ in the squad for when desperation calls – a Ben Davies, if you will, destined to depart the side in future.
As one of the most highly-rated midfielders in Europe at one point in his career, it should come as no surprise that Arthur is determined to restore his former reputation and achieve success with his new outfit.
He can certainly rest assured that his application will not go unnoticed by the coaching staff and we can only hope it leads to some regular minutes in the senior team where, if he impresses, he’ll stand a good chance of encouraging his temporary employers to make his stay at Anfield permanent.