Leaving one of the world’s biggest clubs is not easy – but Fabio Carvalho believes he had to do it.
"I'm not going to just sit on the bench because what's the point?" he told Sky Sports after joining Brentford from Liverpool in a £27.5m move. "I want to play football and show the world what I'm capable of, and why I train so hard every day. I'm not going to be able to do that by sitting on the bench."
Carvalho modestly says he did "alright" in Liverpool's first pre-season under Arne Slot. Goals against Arsenal and Manchester United made him one of their standout performers. Did he think he would have a part to play this season?
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"I did…but you get that feeling where you know certain players aren't back. When they come back, things change," he said. "As soon as you get that feeling, you're like, look, this is the real deal. I'm not just going to stay at Liverpool as much as I love the club."
Carvalho, 21, can play in any forward position yet securing a place in Liverpool's front line is still a tough task. He signed for Brentford after making 21 appearances in two seasons. There is a feeling among Liverpool fans over what might have been for him.
"I can sit here and say, 'yeah, I should have played more', but things happen for a reason, and I'm sure they were meant to happen that way."
He added: "I've learned so much from just being there, being around the great players that are there and just having that experience of training with them every day, which ultimately fuels me to want to reach that level."
Carvalho sought regular minutes on loan at RB Leipzig last season but made just one start in the Bundesliga before returning early. A spell at Hull in the Championship - a division he had already conquered as a title winner with Fulham - helped him rediscover his form with nine goals in 20 games.
"I'll be honest with you, it made me fall back in love with football again. I think it's something that I struggled with a bit," he said.
"Being at Liverpool, one of the best clubs in the world, not playing, going to Germany, being by myself, not playing. It takes a lot out of a player.
"But going to Hull, it was just playing every week, which is all you need. And Liam Rosenior helped me so much, most of the credit is down to him.
"It just made me enjoy playing football, which is ultimately what I love doing. I'm at my happiest when I'm playing."
It's not the only source of his happiness.
"I need to be happy before I even go to football and that's where God comes in and being faithful and having faith in Christ, which really helped me when I was away in Germany."
Brentford can provide another, coupled with the support of his London-based family. The club delivered a detailed pitch, with stats and videos, that won him over.
"If they put effort in with that, they'll put effort with me every day when I come in.
"Wherever you go, not even just football, just life in general, like a job, you want to go somewhere where you're going to feel wanted. You want to go somewhere where you're going to feel part of the structure of the team, whatever it is.
"It's the same with football. I want to go to an environment where I'm looking forward to going in every day, not when I wake up and think, 'I have to go in' kind of thing."
Carvalho made his debut in Brentford's opening-day victory against Crystal Palace and could be set for more minutes against his former club this weekend. He knows this is already a different Liverpool under Arne Slot.
"The short time that we had together, it was good. He's really honest, really straightforward. He knows what he wants from his players, which you can probably see from their performance against Ipswich.
"They want to play a bit more football, as in playing through the thirds. With Jurgen (Klopp), it was more direct, more runs in behind and more intense."
"I'm just focused on being in the present and I'm here right now. I'm going to be playing week-in, week-out in the Premier League, which is the best league in the world. And I know what qualities I bring. As long as I'm playing, I know that I'll work hard and everything else will fall into place."
Tired of sitting on the bench at Anfield, Carvalho is ready to show them what they're missing.
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