Jurgen Klopp has paid a glowing tribute to one Liverpool player who’ll be leaving the club this summer and, as it stands, is facing a somewhat uncertain future.
Arthur Melo came to Anfield on loan from Juventus last September but has made just a solitary 13-minute appearance for the Reds during an abortive injury-ridden campaign (Transfermarkt), and he’d already confirmed that he’d be departing Merseyside at the end of the season.
In quotes shared by Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, the manager said of the 26-year-old: “I would like to wish the best to Arthur as his loan period comes to an end — his professionalism and ability were clear to all who worked with him.”
The Italian added in his tweet that the Brazilian midfielder ‘will leave Juventus this summer’ and ‘will be available on the market’.
Between surgery and various other turns of bad luck (The Athletic), Arthur’s loan spell at Liverpool has virtually been a write-off, with the Brazil international having not played a first-team fixture in more than eight months (Transfermarkt).
It hasn’t worked out how any of the parties concerned would’ve wanted, but as revealed by James Pearce in an article for The Athletic, he’d been a ‘consummate professional’ throughout his time at the club, with nobody at Kirkby having ‘a bad word to say’ about him.
Indeed, a player who’s been capped 22 times by the Selecao and also played for Barcelona and Juventus readily embraced playing against Rochdale in the Papa John’s Trophy for the Reds’ under-21 side, a testament to his desire to get out on the pitch at every opportunity and prove his worth.
Theo Squires suggested in a piece for the Liverpool Echo on Monday that, if Klopp’s side have nothing to play for against Southampton on Sunday, Arthur could possibly be handed a Premier League debut before he moves on.
That would be a fair reward for the 26-year-old for the effort he’s put in behind the scenes, even if luck conspired against him almost from the get-go on Merseyside. We wish him every success at wherever he ends up next.
You can see Romano’s tweet below, via @FabrizioRomano on Twitter:
Jurgen Klopp confirms Arthur Melo exit: “I would like to wish the best to Arthur as his loan period comes to an end — his professionalism and ability were clear to all who worked with him”. 🔴 #LFC
Arthur will leave Juventus this summer — he will be available on the market. pic.twitter.com/xroa8oGJkE
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 22, 2023