Liverpool will have to come up with new solutions to solve their defensive conundrum after Virgil van Dijk's serious injury.
The club confirmed the Dutchman will undergo surgery after sustaining ACL damage during Saturday's Merseyside derby following an unpunished challenge from Jordan Pickford.
Liverpool are yet to put a timescale on Van Dijk's return to action but it's plausible the defender could miss the remainder of the 2020/21 Premier League season.
Having sold Dejan Lovren to Zenit St Petersburg and opted against signing a replacement, it leaves Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, both who have had their own injury problems, as Liverpool's only senior centre-back options.
However, Van Dijk himself has already spoken out about a teammates ability to play as a defender.
Fabinho caught the eye with a man-of-the-match performance earlier in the season when he slotted into the back four at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.
“Outstanding,” Van Dijk said after the match on Fabinho's display against Chelsea.
“I just told him as well I think he was Man of the Match. To keep out a striker like [Timo] Werner and don’t let him score, overall he was outstanding.
“Everyone knows how good he is but it shows also that we need everyone. We are a bit unlucky with the injuries now but we’ll need everyone back because it’s such a long season.”
Given Liverpool's plethora of options in midfield following the addition of Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho could offer a major solution to Liverpool's injury worries.
Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Gini Wijnaldum started in midfield when Fabinho was in defence, with Thiago entering the fray at half-time.
Henderson is a more direct replacement for Fabinho, whilst Thiago showed he can also play as a ball-playing 'six' with Bayern Munich last season.
