Endo has made Anfield fall in love and this is the new nickname he has been given by fans

Wataru Endo (Totsuka-ku, 9-2-1993) entered Anfield through the 'back door'. No pun intended. Liverpool swooped for his signature after Moises Caicedo scuppered the deal between the Reds and Brighton to join Chelsea. The Japanese international, signed from Stuttgart for 20 million euros, also failed to generate the excitement generated by the arrivals of Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. What's more, at the start of the season, he was heavily questioned.

"We don't give people time. Some of the most important players I've managed needed time to adapt. Robertson, for example, didn't play for half a year and with Fabinho we were forced to change our formation because he couldn't play as the only '6'," Klopp justified himself in defending Endo. It was all said and done. The former Shonan Bellmare, Urawa Red and Sint-Truiden player has been quick to prove the qualities that have made him one of the Bundesliga's best defensive specialists: he was the player who won the most duels in two consecutive seasons. However, if there is one thing he is remembered for, it is the 92nd-minute goal against Cologne (2-1) that saved Stuttgart from relegation on the last day of the 2021-22 season.

Now, taking advantage of Mac Allister's absence, he has become a permanent fixture. Endo has now started seven games as a starter. A streak that started after his goal, coming off the bench, in the comeback 'in extremis' against Fulham (4-3). "I'm very happy to score my first goal for Pool. Everyone could think: 'What's Endo doing there? Because I'm the number six and I always try to add in attack," he said after his right-footed shot from the edge of the box into the top corner against Fulham.

Endo is the new Fabinho

Endo has become the 'new Fabinho'. He is the one who provides the pause in the 'rock&Klopp' of a Liverpool side that often field five attack-minded players from midfield onwards: Szoboszlai, Salah, Darwin, Luis Diaz, Gravenberch. "I'm very happy for him. It took him some time to show how good he is, but I'm glad that the public now also values him because he's one of the hardest working people I've ever met. He brings something different to the team, it has to be said. We don't have 20 players who dominate tackles apart from him. He's also a really good passer and positions himself very well," Klopp admits.