Fabinho posing genuine Liverpool transfer question because of Virgil van Dijk and Thiago

Blood Red: Virgil van Dijk pictured training at Kirkby for first time since suffering injury

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Virgil van Dijk has been missing for 14 games since picking up his ACL injury against Everton in mid-October, but Liverpool have coped well without his world-class presence.

Jurgen Klopp would always prefer, of course, to have his £75m central defender in the side, but Liverpool have only lost one match – the inconsequential home defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League – since he has been out.

A huge reason why Liverpool have coped so well with the loss of Van Dijk is the form of Fabinho, who has slotted into the backline as if he has always been there.

Alongside four different centre-back partners in the Premier League and the Champions League in Rhys Williams, Nat Phillips, Joel Matip and Jordan Henderson, Fabinho has stepped up and helped Liverpool through a tricky period of games.

He himself was injured for three of the games Van Dijk was missing for, compounding the issue even more, but since then has featured as much as possible and necessary.

Long-term, Fabinho is likely to move back into his midfield berth that he was signed to fill – and has done so superbly over the previous two seasons.

But there is a question to be asked, not least because of Thiago Alcantara adding another option in the number six role, when fit, and his record as a defender, over whether that would be the right move to make.

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When Fabinho has played at centre-back for Liverpool, the Reds have picked up an average of 2.27 points per game, according to Transfermarkt, including taking wins in the cups as ‘three points’.

Van Dijk, by comparison, has picked up 2.25 points per game, and while the Dutchman’s sample size is considerably larger (130 games compared to Fabinho’s 15), the impact that Fabinho is having cannot be doubted, especially considering he has often been alongside an inexperienced partner.

The 27-year-old may see himself as a midfielder long-term, once Van Dijk and Joe Gomez return.

But the first few weeks of the season have shown, at the very least, why Liverpool were prepared to head into the season with him as a central defensive option, as was discussed on the Blood Red podcast.

Given the injury situation, and the injury record of Matip, another centre-back is likely to be purchased by Liverpool sooner rather than later, but Fabinho has posed the question of whether that is definitely required.

If Liverpool can get Thiago over his injury troubles and playing regularly, the need for the Brazilian to move back into midfield will not be as pressing.

And given how well he has performed at the back, there is a chance that centre-back could become his long-term position at Anfield, joining midfielders like Javier Mascherano in being converted.

At the very least, Fabinho playing at centre-back could become something sporadically seen once Van Dijk and Gomez return, with Klopp making no secret of his desire to have a small but versatile squad to work with.

Fabinho might be the best holding midfielder in the country, but he is among the best centre-backs too. The answer may yet prove to be back in midfield, but the question of his long-term position has definitely been posed.