Jurgen Klopp says Takumi Minami is ‘getting better every day’

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Jurgen Klopp gave his thoughts on Takumi Minamino and his status at Liverpool on Friday. The Reds’ boss feels very positive.

Takumi Minamino has now played 51 games for Liverpool after arriving from RB Salzburg a little over two years ago. It’s safe to say things have been hit and miss.

We actually liked the look of Minamino pre-Liverpool, with his performance in the Champions League at Anfield really catching the eye. Enough, in fact, that we suggested the Reds should watch him closely. They agreed a £7.25m fee soon after, much to our delight.

But Minamino didn’t hit the ground running. He moved to a club that had essentially won the title already, making it tough to break into. On top of that, the pandemic hit just a couple of months later and football entirely halted.

That rough start set a difficult foundation and Minamino has never really established himself. Even after 50 games, he doesn’t really ever start.

In fact, Minamino has only started four Premier League games for Liverpool. His nine appearances this season – with zero starts – don’t even add up to 90 minutes. Despite that, he still has two goals in the league.

But we shouldn’t consider giving up just yet, it seems. Jurgen Klopp is still feeling positive about Minamino, giving him a shout-out in Friday’s press conference.

Klopp on Takumi Minamino at Liverpool

Competition at Liverpool is fierce as Klopp knows it. The addition of Luis Diaz makes it even tougher for someone like Minamino to break into the side but the boss prefers to focus on the positives. In this case, that his selection of forwards continue to improve – even if they’re not playing.

“We’ve never had this squad available,” said Klopp. “Now we have it available – these players are all here for a while already. We have so many top developments individually.

“Just as an example, Taki Minamino has played more than 50 games for Liverpool and is getting better every day. But it’s not easy to be a starter in this team.”

Klopp sees the problem, then. It’s a good one to have, obviously, but it’s difficult to see a fix. Minamino might be improving but so is everyone else – we expect Luis Diaz will do so rapidly.

Minamino is delivering positive signs this season, though. He’s scoring fairly consistently despite a lack of minutes and age is just about on his side. If he does keep improving, perhaps he can force more out of his Liverpool career.

But it’s a big ask at this stage.