Arne Slot praises ‘special’ Liverpool man despite handing him just six starts all season | OneFootball

Arne Slot has praised the performances of Wataru Endo so far this season despite the Japan international starting just six games all season (across all competitions).

The former VFB Stuttgart man entered the fray for the final 20 minutes of our clash with Wolves on Sunday and made a brilliant contribution as we held out for a 2-1 victory at Anfield.

Endo was signed by Jurgen Klopp in the summer of 2023 and soon became a favourite amongst Kopites for his dedicated performances and iconic gum shield.

He may not have featured as much as he would’ve liked this term, but he never disappoints when called upon and that why he was singled out for praise by the Liverpool boss earlier today.

“I think Wata has been really useful for us this season,” Slot told Liverpoolfc.com. “It’s not always a matter of how many minutes you play, you can be very important in two minutes and less important in 90 minutes.

“What makes Wata special, in my opinion, is every time we have to rely on him – if it’s five, 10, 20 or 25 minutes – he shows up.

“That sounds much more simple than it is because if a player has hardly had a lot of playing time then to be mentally so strong that if the team needs you, you can bring your best performance in – that is not always easy. Because mostly you see players that don’t play a lot find it difficult to get their rhythm or their quality in the less playing time they get.

“The only thing is defending is always more easy than creating. So if a player who hasn’t played for a long time and he has to create something, it is always more difficult than defending. He’s been important for us and he will be important for us in the upcoming weeks as well.”

Our No.3 has been deployed at both the centre of defence and in the deep-lying midfield role when needed.

It’s once again unlikely that he’ll be in the starting XI for tomorrow’s clash with Aston Villa in the Midlands but he could certainly be needed from the bench if we’re trying to see the game out late on.

He gives his all whenever on the pitch and that’s all us Liverpool fans will ever ask for from a player.

He’ll be eager to pick up more silverware at the club this season and it’s nice to see him getting some much deserved praise from the gaffer.