23 March 2023 , 09:00
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Arthur Melo's agent Federico Pastorello has defended the Liverpool misfit after an injury-hit first season, claiming the Brazilian has been "unlucky".
Former Barcelona star Arthur joined on loan from Juventus over the summer after injuries to a number of Liverpool midfielders, and made his debut from the bench in a Champions League defeat against Napoli in September. He has yet to add to that sole senior appearance, though, after an injury sustained in training left him needing surgery.
The 26-year-old returned to Liverpool's bench in March, and was an unused substitute for the league defeat at Bournemouth. He has yet to make it onto a Premier League pitch, but Pastorello has come to his client's defence.
“The last day of the transfer market arrived, he paid for the season in which he played little at Juventus, he was integrating and had an annoying injury for which he had to operate,” Pastorello told Tuttomercatoweb.
“It was three months of injury, he made his second bench, I hope he can at least give his contribution. I think he’ll come back from the loan and then we’ll see what to do.”
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Even before moving to Anfield, Arthur had been out of the picture at Juventus. His most recent appearance for the Italian club came in mid-May, when he was a substitute in the Bianconeri's Coppa Italia final defeat against Inter Milan.
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Arthur is closing in on a Liverpool return (Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Liverpool have an option to make Arthur's loan into a permanent deal for €37.5m. However, the Reds are expected to instead turn their attentions to other targets in the summer.
Jude Bellingham has long been linked with a move to Anfield, and the Borussia Dortmund midfielder has a number of friends within the Reds' squad, but a failure to secure Champions League qualification could dent Liverpool's hopes of landing the England star. Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha has been mentioned as a potential alternative to Bellingham, while Adrien Rabiot - out of contract at Juventus at the end of the season - has also been linked.
Liverpool didn't play in the most recent round of Premier League fixtures, meaning their defeat at Bournemouth earlier in the month leaves them down in sixth - albeit with games in hand on fourth-place Tottenham. However, the Reds have a tough run of games after the international break, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal to come in the next three matches.
Arthur, meanwhile, isn't the only Liverpool players set to leave in the summer. Roberto Firmino is preparing for a new challenge, while Naby Keita is also among those expected to move on when his contract expires in June.