The 55-year-old was asked if he captained Japan after the Reds recorded a 3-1 win over West Ham, with the former explaining that his summer signing should be considered a long-term project after having only a very brief cameo at Anfield.
“He has to get used to things here.
Wataru is a great guy, very calm and very polite,” the German told reporters in comments on Empire’s X account.
At 30, this statement might elicit a few comical smiles from fans, especially considering the existence of significantly younger operators on Merseyside such as Curtis Jones (22) and Alexis Mac Allister (24).
Regardless, this shouldn’t raise any alarm bells about the player’s future at the team. We are sure that many fans will remember how long it took for the former world no.
6 Fabinho goes to bed at Liverpool, with Klopp known to take his time with certain players where he believes it is a requirement.
However, we can understand why there may have been some raised eyebrows after the coach was seen on camera talking to Endo about how much he was needed at L4 to play a defensive role in an incredibly top-heavy team.
Of course, we did quite well without a natural midfielder, although one can imagine that the former Stuttgart player will certainly play a more important role in the team over the course of the season.
