Fabinho has talked up the role Roberto Firmino played in helping Jurgen Klopp bring him to Liverpool last summer.
The Reds swooped for the Monaco midfielder in the aftermath of their Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, confirming a near £40million deal less than 48 hours after the 3-1 loss in Kiev .
The move caught many by surprise, with the transfer reaching completion with minimal fuss, but Fabinho has explained that Klopp tracked him some time before signing for the Reds 12 months ago.
And the Liverpool star has explained the part his Brazilian international colleague Firmino had in helping open the pathway between Klopp and Fabinho's representatives.
In an interview with Esporte Interativo, Fabinho said: "I remember that after one of my games for Monaco, against Marseille, where I’d played well and scored, Firmino sent me a message and we started to talk.
"He said: 'the coach asked about you, what I thought about you, I talked you up a little bit'.
"We exchanged some messages for a while and I asked him some things about Liverpool and that was it for a while.
"Then Liverpool reached my agents, made them aware of the interest and set up a meeting with Klopp. We talked about his ideas for the team, work routine, tactics, physical training.
"My interest was rising, because I had always said that if I were to leave Monaco, it would only be to a team that really wanted me.
"I was very happy with Liverpool wanting to sign me and then made my mind that it was the right thing to do. It was quick, right after the final against Real Madrid, the signing was made official."
The 25-year-old initially found it tough going adjusting to the rigours of playing for a Klopp team and the Liverpool manager integrated his £40m midfielder into the fold slowly.
It was a tactic Klopp had used previously for 2017 summer signings Andy Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as their respective transitions were managed carefully before they became regulars in the team.
Fabinho admitted he was told that such a way of working was natural under Klopp and he eventually forced his way into the team to become an important member of a side that will contest the Champions League final on Saturday against Tottenham.
"That moment with Klopp was very important, but also the transition when I arrived," he added.
"I played pretty much all the pre-season games, thought that I played well, and because of that, also thought that I would start playing earlier, not wait as much I did.
"Others players made sure that I was relaxed, they told me: 'don’t worry, everyone that arrives goes through that, like Robertson and Chamberlain'.
"I was calm, tried to learn about the team, the other players, getting used to the intensity of the league.
"After a while, Klopp gave me the chances and little by little I could show my value and that I could be important to the team."
Fabinho is likely to be named in a three-man midfield when the Reds meet Spurs in Madrid on Saturday evening.
