1 year ago
181 Steve Nicol has suggested that Jurgen Klopp is yet to fully trust Wataru Endo after he was asked why the Liverpool boss does not start the Japan international more often.
Nicol was speaking to ESPN with the 30-year-old only making one start in the Premier League following his switch to Anfield in the summer transfer window.
Wataru Endo is certainly the summer signing who has had the quietest start to life at Liverpool. He would not have been a household name before his move to Merseyside.
Steve Nicol not convinced Jurgen Klopp trusts Wataru Endo
Dominik Szoboszlai has made a brilliant start. Meanwhile, there have been flashes from both Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.
Endo is the holding midfielder of the quartet. And yet, Jurgen Klopp has tended to use Mac Allister in that deeper role instead.
Steve Nicol suggested that Mac Allister keeping his place in front of the defence is an indication that Endo is yet to really prove himself to Klopp.
“I don’t think he fancies him right now,” he told ESPN. “All the managers use that ‘well, he hasn’t quite settled in yet. He’s still learning the way we play’.
“I don’t think too many people would argue that to have Szoboszlai and Mac Allister further up would be better. The thing is he can afford to have Mac Allister a little deeper because they are pretty good still at going forward.
“But I don’t think he trusts Endo, I think that’s probably a better word. He doesn’t trust him yet to start him and have the other two further up.”
Positive signs in midweek
It is imperative that Endo takes any opportunities which come his way. Right now, he is struggling for minutes in the Premier League. But Liverpool are battling on several fronts.
Klopp said Endo was insane in Liverpool’s Europa League win over Toulouse in midweek. So that is definitely a positive sign for the summer signing.
It will definitely be good news for Liverpool if Endo can prove himself in that role. It is surely fair to say that the holding role does not play to Mac Allister’s strengths. And there have been a couple of games where he has struggled.
Against some sides, that may not be much of an issue. But there are going to be times where Liverpool’s lack of a world-class holding midfielder may be exposed.
It remains to be seen whether Endo will be able to fill that void over the coming months. But you would think that he is going to get the chances to really show what he can do.
The post 'Don't think he fancies him': Pundit says he's not sure Jurgen Klopp trusts Liverpool player right now appeared first on TBR Football.
