When Liverpool signed Fabinho in the summer transfer window, plenty of fans assumed that the Brazilian would take the place of Emre Can.

However, following a bout of illness, the midfielder was left out of the starting lineup that earned a 4-0 triumph over West Ham United on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Manager Jurgen Klopp opted to keep the same XI that dominated the Hammers when the team travelled to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on Monday night.

That meant that Georginio Wijnaldum would line up in midfield alongside Naby Keita and James Milner.

The Dutchman has had his critics since moving to the Reds from Newcastle United in 2016, but on Monday evening, he put in a performance that should concern Fabinho.

Throughout the 90 minutes, Wijnaldum looked composed on the ball and never let his focus waver.

The 27-year-old perfectly executed the holding role, and in a game where Liverpool dominated possession, his passing accuracy was almost perfect.

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Only Keita and Andrew Robertson made more tackles, and Wijnaldum also contributed in attack by finding his target twice with long balls.

As the season progresses, Fabinho will get his chance, but at the moment it would not make much sense to dislodge the current midfield.

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