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Jurgen Klopp is set to give Fabinho a late birthday gift by unleashing the Liverpool midfielder on Red Star Belgrade as the manager declared: “He's ready for action.”

The Brazil international, who turned 25 on Tuesday, has only made one start in the League Cup since his £40million summer move from Monaco.

Klopp insists Fabinho has needed time to get to grips with the Reds' style, but he's been impressed by how he has made the required adjustments.

With captain Jordan Henderson sidelined by a hamstring problem, Fabinho is expected to make his full Champions League debut for Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday night.

“Yes, it's clear,” Klopp said.

“It's his birthday today by the way so it would be a nice present eh?

“It has got better and better and better and better and now everything is good.

“I didn't make the line up yet but of course it is very important for us that he's been here for a few months already and has got used to a few things. We'll use him.”

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Kopites have only seen flashes of his ability in the holding midfield role so far, but the Reds boss is in no doubt that he will prove his worth.

Fabinho, who came off the bench to make his Premier League bow in the win at Huddersfield on Saturday, boasts a wealth of Champions League experience from his five years at Monaco and was part of their side which reached the semi-finals in 2016/17.

“If you watch Fabinho playing at Monaco, full of confidence,” Klopp said.

“You come to a new club and it depends a bit on your personality. He's not the loudest person on the planet.

“It's not that he's come in and said: 'Sit down all of you and I'll explain how we do it at Monaco because we were in the Champions League semi-final the year before and became French champions.'

“He is more a rather reserved person - looking, watching, absorbing, and it always takes a little bit more time. But on the pitch, he is back now and that's good.

“You only have to watch a few YouTube videos of him. It's not important what summary of a Monaco season you watch because he was good in all of them!

“He has all the qualities. Hard challenges, good offensively, defensively quick, good shooter, fantastic set-pieces, good header, all these things. He's good strategically too in the right moment.

“We just play differently, a different system, and that's what always needs time to adapt.”

(Image: Photo by James Maloney)

Klopp has likened Fabinho's situation to Andy Robertson's a year ago. This time last season the Scotland international had only started three matches following his £10million move from Hull City.

However, Robertson went on to nail down the left-back spot and establish himself as a firm fans' favourite. Klopp expects Fabinho to follow the same path.

“Fabinho is just a fantastic addition and can improve us from a specific moment on,” he added.

“I've no problems, honestly. Go back a year and Andy Robertson – he played what one or two games by this stage, but not too good. And then he became the player he is now.

“I've said it a few times, we can not – I can not – shorten the time it takes (to settle into Liverpool's system). Maybe somebody can, I can't.

“You come into my team, mostly it needs a bit of time. Ilkay Gundogan needed more or less half a year without being in the squad more or less. After that he played pretty much each game - that's how things go.”

With Henderson joining Naby Keita on the sidelines, Klopp's midfield options have been reduced ahead of the visit of the Serbian champions.

However, the value of having greater depth in the squad this season is underlined by the fact he's able to bring in someone of Fabinho's calibre. James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum are both available, while Xherdan Shaqiri could also be utilised in midfield again after shining last weekend.

We're building up to tonight's Champions League match against Red Star Belgrade HERE

“The problem should never be that Jordan is not in. It's not cool of course to lose him, but the problem is we lost Naby as well. That makes it a little bit more uncomfortable,” Klopp said.

“We always have a starting line up. That's not the problem, the problem is how can you change things when we don't feel as comfortable as possible?

“We have the squad and quality should not be an issue, it is not allowed that it's an issue to be honest.

“At a top football club you always have options. You could change the system for example and always have a good line up. We still have opportunities to change so we should be okay.”