Takumi Minamino will remain at Liverpool for the rest of the season. The Japanese international had been the subject of approaches from Monaco and Leeds United (BBC Sport).
But Liverpool held firm to keep the 27-year-old. That must be a relief to Minamino who will now complete a full season with The Reds for the very first time.
Regardless of whether the decision to stay was the club’s or the player’s, he will now get the chance to add to his six goals in red this campaign.
Tricky beginnings
It must have been difficult for Minamino to integrate himself into the club.
Arriving when he did, just before the pandemic shut down the league, must have made acclimatising to a new country very difficult.
Empty stadiums and limited game time can’t be a good combination to feel at home as a footballer. Moving away to Southampton for the second half of last season would have likely made him feel even more distant.
A proper Liverpool player
This season the Carabao Cup has given him a reason to feel like he belongs at Liverpool.
His passionate goal celebrations in-front of the fans show that he has finally made the connection that any player needs to perform at his best.
Despite his limited game time, Minamino has six goals in 18 games this season. That represents a decent return. That those six goals have come from just six starts is even more impressive.
He is giving exactly what you would hope from a back-up player. If he can get into double figures in his first full season at the club, without ever playing regularly, nobody can call his time at Liverpool a failure.
Although he can look lightweight, his prowess in-front of goal is clear. Jurgen Klopp recently called his finishes “incredible” as per the Liverpool Echo.
Perhaps we should disregard what has come before and treat this season as the start of Minamino’s Liverpool career. Who knows, it could yet end in glory.
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