Fabinho has revealed that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has urged the defence to communicate better and show more leadership in the absence of Virgil van Dijk.
The talismanic Dutch centre-back could be out for the rest of the season after he suffered ACL damage in the 2-2 draw with Everton earlier this month.
Since the injury Klopp's preferred centre-back pairing has been Joe Gomez and Fabinho, with the latter abandoning his natural defensive midfielder position in order to cover for Van Dijk.
Speaking in an interview with Brazilian publication UOL, Fabinho said he is still getting to grips with playing at the back - and explained exactly what Klopp has told him and the other defenders.
"It has become increasingly natural," Fabinho said of his new role.
"I already have some games in this position and some moves are getting more automatic. In terms of positioning, I’m getting better and better.
"This communication and leadership you notice mainly when he [Van Dijk] is not on the field. We have other communicative players, like Henderson and Milner, but the coach spoke with the backline and said that we had to learn.
"Maybe it is not my profile or Joe Gómez’s, but we don’t have to be afraid to work hard. Sometimes it’s small things like a second ball, movement in pressure and reaction, things that help the midfielders. It’s something I know I have to improve."
Fabinho has been a crucial player for the Reds in recent years, but he is not yet sure of his future plans, with his current contract set to run until 2023.
"I have this [season] and two more years of contract," he added. I intend to fulfil these three years and soon see if there is a renewal or not, but my focus today is on Liverpool and I am very happy here.
"Liverpool have grown a lot in recent years, we have a strong team that has everything to continue like this and what we are achieving with this group has entered history. We can do more and more and I want to be part of that."
*Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip
