New Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed that Japan international Wataru Endo is still a key player for the Reds this season, despite being a substitute.

“It’s not always about the players themselves, it’s also about the competition they have in the team,” the 45-year-old Dutch coach said. “We have a lot of good midfielders, as well as good players in other positions.”

“We are very pleased with the way Wataru is training with us, but he has had a tough competition and I think you saw that against Brentford we had a good performance from all three of our midfield players, so it’s not always about him, ufabet http://ufabet999.app it’s about the other players as well.”

A somewhat left-field signing under Jurgen Klopp after a move for Moises Caicedo had fallen through, Endo enjoyed a solid first campaign for Liverpool. On the whole, he probably more or less met expectations, offering an industrious albeit sometimes technically limited presence at the base of the midfield.

He claimed his first piece of silverware in the Carabao Cup final, playing a heroic 120 minutes at Wembley. And He provided an experienced head as Klopp turned to a number of Academy players on the way to a famous victory over Chelsea.

“He will be important for us throughout the season because we need everyone in the team. We all know how long a season is and how many players you need and he is one of them that we want to keep in the team.”

For the 31-year-old, he has been a substitute in the last two games, with Slots choosing to use Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch as the starting number 6.