Wataru Endo has been referred to as a “machine” by Jurgen Klopp.
He acknowledges that they have had “meetings” to discuss tactical adjustments to the player’s style of play.
Prior to the acquisition of the Japan captain, who joined from Stuttgart for about £16.25 million, Liverpool lacked a reliable defensive midfielder.
Just 24 hours after joining the team, he was thrown into the deep end against Bournemouth with the Reds already down to 10 men.
Following Virgil van Dijk’s early departure, Liverpool also lost a man when Endo started the thrilling 2-1 triumph away at Newcastle.
The 30-year-old will need some time to get used to life at Anfield, according to Klopp, who acknowledges that he has had “meetings” with Endo regarding his positional awareness.
“For Endo it is a massive step and change in the way he used to play so that needs a bit of time to get there but it is no problem,” the manager said in a press conference prior to the match against Aston Villa.
With all the possession and other things, we are still a counter-pressing team, so you need to be in certain areas. And you can tell when he gets a little too deep.
“I’ve met with him, and we’ll discuss it. When the areas are smaller during training, you can see that he is a machine because he wants to do it perfectly.
Endo and recent addition Ryan Gravenberch haven’t had the pleasure of having complete preseason schedules with the team because Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai joined earlier in the window.
Klopp acknowledged that Endo’s early conditions weren’t easy and that his progress had been hampered by joining later than his teammates.
“The main difference between him and the other two new boys is that he didn’t have a pre-season. “He just needs training and everything will be fine,” the coach said. “They had the pre-season with us and it changes everything.”
Supporters will be troubled by the suggestion that Endo isn’t yet ready because he is the only specialist No. 6 on the team and should, in theory, have a wealth of experience at the age of 30.
The midfielder will be hoping to provide a good impression as he continues to integrate into a Klopp midfield as he prepares to make his maiden Anfield start on Sunday.
