RB Leipzig chief criticises Fabio Carvalho for not wanting 'to face the competition'

RB Leipzig's sporting director has criticised Liverpool attacker Fabio Carvalho for not wanting 'to face the competition' during his time at the Red Bull Arena.

The Portugal U21 international was recalled by the Reds at the beginning of January after an unsuccessful loan stint in Leipzig.

Carvalho started just three games in Germany, accumulating a total of 15 appearances in all competitions as he struggled to find a spot in Marco Rose's side.

The former Fulham youngster didn't manage a single goal contribution at Leipzig and has now joined fellow Liverpool loanee Tyler Morton at Championship Hull City for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.

Despite Leipzig wanting to sign Carvalho permanently last summer, the 21-year-old was rarely used by Rose, with the club's sporting director Rouven Schroder claiming his lack of competitiveness stopped him developing in Germany.

Speaking to journalists, Schroder said (via RB Live): "We consciously chose Fabio last summer. He had a great season with Fulham in the English second division, which is very physical.

"We said to ourselves: great talent, good age, has already gained his experience. Still, you only get to know a player as an end product when he’s there.

"Fabio has a great character. But he realised: ‘OK, there’s a competitor here, I have to do more!’. And we noticed that he didn’t want to face the competition."

Carvalho was competing with some incredible talents during his time in the Bundesliga, including the likes of Xavi Simons, Dani Olmo and Emil Forsberg.

In the end, Carvalho was unable to impress enough to earn regular game time, although he did leave with a German Super Cup to his name.

Now with Liam Rosenior and Hull back in the Championship, Carvalho should be able to experience his fair share of first-team action until the end of the season.

With Liverpool reportedly uninterested in selling Carvalho permanently, viewing him as part of their future plans, it will be interesting to see if he can impress Klopp enough during his time with the Tigers.