Klopp sends a warning against judging Endo too soon after his shone in Wednesday’s 3-1 win against Leiceste
Jurgen Klopp has warned against making early judgements on Wataru Endo after the midfielder excelled in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Leicester on Wednesday.
The Japan captain started his first game at Anfield in the midweek win over the Foxes in the Carabao Cup and marked it with an assist for Dominik Szoboszlai’s thunderbolt that made it 2-1 on the night.
Endo joined the Reds just days before he was asked to play as a second-half substitute with 10 men in the victory over Bournemouth in August before his first start the following week at Newcastle was also played for majority with a man less after Virgil van Dijk’s sending-off.
With the whirlwind nature of his arrival and the circumstances beyond Endo’s control since on the pitch, Klopp said he was pleased but not surprised to see the 30-year-old give a better indication about what he will be able to offer for the long term against Leicester.
“It was not a surprise because that is how he is training, I said that before, he is already there in training,” Klopp said.
“I was not too happy with the way I described the situation [previously] and if you are not native that makes it pretty difficult, even if you think I am eight years in, I should be able to speak better English.
“But some people have the personality of getting into something and taking everything and others get in and look left or right first, and that is just your character, but both can succeed.
“It is just a different timescale and now we have two new players in Dom and Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) who just step in and it is just (clicks fingers): ‘Hello, here we are’.
“And then with Ryan Gravenberch obviously doing pretty well as well, so if you have fourth one and [people say] ‘oh I am not really sure.’
We don’t give people time anymore, what kind of world is that?
“So I am not surprised, The way he trains is super promising and exactly what we wanted.
He is a top, top guy so and I am really happy he could show the outside world a first glimpse of his quality and it is really nice.”
Klopp added: “With all the understandable attention on Dominik’s goal, the pass was just as good, I didn’t see any space between the two [Leicester] players.
Dom told me after the game ‘I hoped he saw me’.
“He saw him and he still had to play the ball with no space between the other players so it was a top, top pass.
A pass we missed in the past.
That was the truth. He played so many forward balls and he was really good.
He is in a good way and I am really happy for him to show this sign in the second half.”
Klopp also talked up how well £60m summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai has settled on Merseyside following his move from RB Leipzig.
The No.8’s stunning goal against Leicester was his second of the campaign and his manager is delighted with the early contributions of the Hungary captain.
“I am impressed as well, that is clear,” Klopp said of Szoboszlai’s impact.
“I knew him as a footballer but not as a person before [he signed] but the boy is impressive, he is really smart, is really nice as well, a really good lad, he is close with everyone.
“You have these people coming into a room and clicking with everyone, he has that and it probably the charisma or whatever you want to call it.
He was in the team in an instant and he was so happy to come here, that was really nice to see how much it meant to him.
“And if that is the mood you are in yourself, then it is a good situation to play your best football, that is what he did from the beginning, he is a naturally fit boy, an endurance talent, we saw that pretty quickly and all the rest we learn step by step about each other.
“He never played the position he played for us, he has definitely never played as a double 6 and we learn together where it can go.
It is like it is with the other boys, it is a real joy to work with. That’s clear.”