Liverpool ace Fabinho admits his former AS Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim was key to converting him from fullback to midfielder.

Five major trophies have been collected during his spell at Anfield to date, but his career could have panned out completely differently had he not trusted the instincts and foresight of Jardim, his former coach at Monaco.

“He was a very important coach in my career," Fabinho explained to FourFourTwo magazine. “My first season with him at Monaco [2014-15], I still mainly played as a full-back, but then in a few games he started pushing me into midfield.

“I remember him asking me during pre-season if I'd ever played in that position and I told him I had, so he played me there in a friendly and I was the best player on the pitch.

“Then, before the beginning of the 2016-17 season, Jardim called me for a chat and told me, 'Listen, I've signed Djibril Sidibe to play in your role – from now on, I want you to play as a defensive midfielder.'

“Considering my situation with the national team, plus the smaller pool of top-quality full-backs, I thought it was a negative change.

“It was tough. Everybody knew me as a full-back and I was a regular for the national team there – my agents, and I suppose me to begin with, weren't happy at all with the situation. I accepted the challenge because I knew I could adapt.

“Looking back, though, that was a life-changing moment. Jardim helped me a lot, and that season we won the Ligue 1 title and reached the Champions League semi-finals. I was in the form of my life and ended up moving to Liverpool as a midfielder.

“It definitely proved to be the right decision."