They call him a liar, Jurgen Klopp is accused of statements made

Wataru Endō isn’t planning on an early return to Liverpool, despite Jürgen Klopp’s wishes. The German had joked that he wanted Endō and Mohamed Salah back in his squad at the earliest opportunity while the pair are on international duty. Thirty-year-old Endō is currently away with Japan for the Asian Cup, which is now underway in Qatar.

Endō and his teammates get their campaign underway tomorrow when they take on Vietnam in their opening group game. Japan will be among the favorites to go all the way in the tournament, although that wouldn’t necessarily be welcomed by Liverpool. Having already missed the FA Cup win over Arsenal and the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham, Endō would miss another six games for his club if his nation made it to the final.

Given his recent form and a growing injury list, Klopp certainly wouldn’t mind having Endō back earlier than expected. The Liverpool boss hasn’t shied away from telling his midfielder that either. “I said if I wish you good luck it would be a lie (laughs)!” Klopp joked. “No, I do obviously (wish them luck), but from a personal point of view I would be overly happy if they go out in the group stages but it is probably not possible.

“It’s fine, they can go and win it as well. So good luck, see you and come back healthy. That’s pretty much the words. Now we have to deal with it and we will deal with it. Of course you see the recent games and think, ‘Okay, that looks a bit strange,’ but I am pretty positive that we will find a way. But we have to show that on the pitch.”

Endo's response

Endō has now responded to his manager’s message ahead of leading his nation in tomorrow’s opening game. And the Japan captain has no intentions of heading back to Anfield early. "Of course the coach meant that as a joke but I do feel very honored that he feels I need to be back at Liverpool," he said. "I'm here now, I'm the captain of the team and all I'm thinking about is bringing the trophy back to Liverpool."