The sale of Fabinho to Al-Ittihad this summer came as a shock to many Liverpool fans.

The Brazilian midfielder had been a major aspect of the success Liverpool had achieved over the last five years and his brilliance in the middle of the park had an instant impact as the club won the Champions League in his debut season.

While he became the best defensive midfielder in the world during his time at Liverpool, his last season at the club was by far his worst in a Red shirt and had some fans contemplating whether the club should consider bringing in somebody to replace Fabinho.

However, with the sale of the likes of Jordan Henderson and the release of James Milner, Naby Keïta, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, getting rid of Fabinho seemed to be a step too far but Liverpool couldn't resist a £40million offer from Saudi Pro club Al-Ittihad.

The lack of midfield reinforcements brought in this summer, has had fans reconsider whether selling Fabinho was the wrong decision for Liverpool.

Liverpool Should Have Kept Him

There's no doubt the 22/23 season was Fabinho's worst during his five years at the club but some fans may seem to forget that during the business end of the season, his form returned to the Fabinho of old.

The change in the system by Jürgen Klopp last season that brought Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside Fabinho when in possession meant he had more protection than what he had before and allowed him to play his game rather than attempting to play the role of both the number six and eight.

At 29 years old, Fabinho certainly had a few more years left to give to Liverpool and without an adequate signing in his place, the Brazilian has left a huge gap in the middle of the pitch.

He Was Physically Declining

While he did end last season on a high note, there is no doubt that he had suffered a physical decline due to the sheer amount of games he played for Liverpool in the five years he was at Anfield.

He played 219 games for the club in all competitions and played over 40 games in every season bar one where he played 39 games.

Fabinho was certainly a casualty for the lack of cover in his position which caused him to play more games than most in the team while the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané were able to rest during cup competitions because Klopp could play fringe forwards such as Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino.

From a business point of view, it would have been hard to decline a £40million bid for a player they saw as his best years behind him regardless of the success he's been part of in the last few years.

This current season will surely answer the question for Liverpool fans whether selling Fabinho was the wrong decision.