Jurgen Klopp has expressed his disappointment at Wataru Endo’s departure for the Asian Cup as he begins to settle in at Liverpool.The midfielder joined the Reds from Stuttgart for around £16m in the summer transfer window. After a slow start to his career at Anfield, Endo has impressed recently.
In the absence of Alexis McAllister, the 30-year-old has started the last seven games in all competitions. Liverpool beat Burnley 2-0 to go top of the Premier League. Liverpool will now turn their attention to the trip to Newcastle United on New Year’s Day. Endo has set his sights on participating in the Asian Cup at the end of January and leading Japan to victory.
Klopp expressed his sadness but said he was “very happy” Endo had shown his skills. “I would like to say I enjoyed the game,” the Liverpool manager told reporters. I’m a little confused about how I settled and now I’m reaching the Asian Cup, but that’s okay. He’s really a kid and a player and that’s very important. We will have to play without him in January but he is still there against Newcastle. Then the kids leave and we have to find another way. But now I’m very happy about it. “It took him a while to show how good he is, but now we’re seeing it and we’re really happy.”
