Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admits that summer signing Fabio Carvalho is likely to leave on loan in the next transfer window.
The Portugal under-21 international signed from Fulham last summer in a deal that could eventually rise to around £7.7m if certain add-ons are triggered.
Carvalho only made eight starts in all competitions this campaign with the 20-year-old making 21 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals but creating zero assists.
And Klopp reckons Carvalho will probably be loaned out next season to get valuable experience with the Liverpool boss full of praise for the youngster.
Klopp told a pre-match press conference on Friday: "I think there is a possibility that maybe Fabio will go on loan or whatever. We will see. The thing is, this was not Fabio's best year of his career, clearly, in a very young career, but it might have been his most important.
"No player has impressed me more than Fabio, that's the truth. Because this kind of very talented boy came here with big dreams and big expectations, it was OK in the beginning but didn't work out in the end.
"His work ethic will give him a fantastic career. He trained while getting nothing. For players, there's only one present you have each week: you line me up, if not that then take me in the squad. That's my only chance to satisfy a player.
"If I don't do that, it's about how the player reacts - and his reactions, in a row, I never saw it before. Unbelievable. I'm not sure if he goes on loan or whatever, if we keep him, we will see."
Liverpool have been good in recent years at getting a lot of their business done early but Klopp has warned that it might not be the same this summer.
Klopp added: "It's always possible that things don't go as quick as you want. It's not only possible, it's probably likely. The better the player you want is, the lesser is the desire of the other club to let him go.
"That's exactly what we have to prepare for, what we are prepared for. But it's a long window and a long pre-season and a long break in between, so we have time.
"If we get the new players in tomorrow or in six, seven weeks, it's not a game-changer for me, to be honest.
"In an ideal world, they all sign tomorrow and I can tell them when they have to be here, we can start giving them the plans for the summer break and these kinds of things.
"But that will not happen like this, so all good."
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