"It just made more sense" - Liverpool midfielder explains why he turned down Chelsea and Manchester United

Liverpool midfielder Fabio Carvalho has admitted that he turned down advances from Chelsea and Manchester United at a very young age. The 21-year-old was highly rated since his young days and despite offers from bigger clubs, ended up joining Fulham.

The youngster recently highlighted the reason why he turned down a deal from Manchester United and Chelsea and joined Fulham instead. He also said that he trained with Chelsea alongside players like Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala.

Carvalho insisted that he didn't join Manchester United because he believed it was not the right move for his career. The Portugal under-21 international said, as quoted by Empire of the Kop:

“United came down. It was around the same time I was getting scouted by Fulham and just having fun playing Sunday League. United came down and offered me a contract but I just didn’t think it was the right thing for me to do, to move away from my family there and then."

The Liverpool midfielder, who is currently on loan at Hull City added:

“Then it came down to Chelsea and Fulham. I remember going to Chelsea and did a few sessions with them. Michael Olise was there, Jamal Musiala was there. A few players like that were there, and I remember these were very good back then anyway, but then Fulham came calling."

Carvalho insisted that Fulham's offer that included his schooling made more sense for him while he also got the opportunity to feature for their first team. He added:

“They offered me schooling which was very important for my parents, and I think that’s what kind of sealed the deal. I was going to the Fulham squad and getting more training; it just made more sense. It all turned out how it turned out and I’m thankful for that.”

Carvalho joined Fulham in 2015 and stayed at Craven Cottage until 2022 before joining Liverpool in 2022 for £5 million. He made 44 appearances for the Cottagers scoring 12 goals and providing eight assists.

The youngster had an underwhelming debut season at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp during which he made 21 appearances, scoring thrice. He has spent this season on loan at RB Leipzig and Hull City respectively.

He struggled to make an impact at Leipzig during the first half of the season making just 15 appearances without any end product. He has been exceptional for Hull City in the second half of the season, scoring nine times and producing two assists in 20 games.

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Danny Murphy names player Liverpool must keep at Anfield

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has urged the Reds to keep Virgil van Dijk at the club even if they end up losing Mohamed Salah. Both Salah and Van Dijk will enter the final year of their deals at Anfield this summer and have been linked with departures.

Danny Murphy has insisted that the Merseyside giants must keep Van Dijk even if they have to sell Salah in the summer. The former England midfielder has claimed that the Reds don't often struggle to create chances but they are heavily reliant on the Dutchman defensively. He said:

“I actually think the more important signing to keep is van Dijk, I know that sounds a bit silly because of Salah’s goals, but Liverpool don’t struggle to make chances. They have obviously in the recent month to six weeks struggled to convert them, of course, we know that, but they don’t struggle to make chances.

"I think van Dijk going would be a bigger blow than Salah, in my opinion.”

Virgil van Dijk has etched his name as one of the best defenders ever to grace the Premier League. He was solid for Southampton but has been world-class for Liverpool since his £75 million switch in 2018.

Meanwhile, Salah has been Liverpool's talisman up front since his switch from AS Roma in 2017. The Egyptian superstar has scored 211 goals and provided 89 assists in 347 appearances for the Merseyside giants.