Fabinho has thanked Manchester United – for turning his Anfield career around.
The Liverpool midfielder will be a key player in the Champions League final, but that looked a distant prospect earlier in the campaign, when he struggled to even make the bench.
The Brazilian went five games without appearing in the match day squad, and questions were asked about the size of his fee.
But he admitted it was the pace of the game which got him - and only a fine display against United turned it around.
“I knew it would be difficult and there would be times when I would be out of the team. In terms of adapting, there was a lot of preparation and a lot of hard work,” he explained.
“The two games in particular that stood out for me was the game against Arsenal - that’s when I really understood the speed of the Premier League and the attention to detail that is required.
“And in terms of building my confidence, the stand-out game was against Manchester United . After that, overall excellent. I’ve really been able to adapt to the style of the team and the Premier League.
“It was probably one of the best of the season. I managed to get an assist in that game and I really kept up with the rhythm and pace. I think we were much superior than Manchester United.”
Despite his struggles, Fabinho never once doubted he had made the wrong move coming from Monaco to Merseyside, and now the final against Spurs is the complete justification.
“For me it was never in doubt that I’d made the right choice," he added. "Not every player transfers to a new club and gets straight into the team, as was my case.
“Everybody told me that’s how the coach works. New players are not automatically thrown into the first team straight away. What also caught my attention when I came here were the recovery times.
“That was difficult for me at first, the recovery times between games, but that’s an area I’ve improved in and that’s really helped me settle in to the Premier League.”
