Fans make decision on Fabio Carvalho's Liverpool future – poll results

Fabio Carvalho appears to be about to return to Liverpool.

The 21-year-old forward left for RB Leipzig in a season-long loan at the start of the summer, but has struggled for game time in Germany.

Carvalho, who pushed for the switch in order to get more regular minutes, has featured in just seven Bundesliga games so far in 2023/24 – starting just once.

Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday that Liverpool are now in talks with Leipzig over ending the young forward's loan early and are 'unhappy' with how the arrangement has gone.

Carvalho has largely struggled to make an impact for Marco Rose's side, who sit fourth in the Bundesliga after 14 games, with Xavi Simons and Dani Olmo often occupying the advanced midfield positions.

What next for Carvalho?

The aborted loan will go down as a disappointing misstep in the development of Carvalho, who arrived at Liverpool as an exciting talent in 2022.

The Portugal Under-21 star scored twice earlier in his first season at Liverpool – including a dramatic winner against Newcastle – but found regular game time hard to come by in 2022/23 and only featured twice for the Reds after the turn of the year.

What happens next for Carvalho is unclear.

Liverpool could reintegrate him into the squad as an option for the second half of the season, or look to secure another temporary switch until the summer in order to get his career back on track.

Carvalho is still under contract at Anfield until 2027, and a narrow majority of Anfield Watch followers think there is a future for the youngster for Liverpool.

Posed the question on X, 53.9% of fans (4,147 votes) think the forward should get another chance, compared to 46.1% (3,546 votes) who don't.

The former England youth international wouldn't be the first Liverpool star to bounce back from an underwhelming loan.

Divock Origi struggled to set the world alight during a season at Wolfsburg in 2017/18, but came back to become a hero for Liverpool in subsequent seasons.

While a similar fairytale ending for Carvalho might be unrealistic, the forward does have youth on his side and – if he is not sent away again in January – could, at least, be a useful squad option in the short term, adding depth in the latter stages of what promises to be a very busy season.