Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk couldn’t believe what he was seeing after watching Wataru Endo in training yesterday.
Having made his debut at the weekend, Endo is now settling into his first full week as a Liverpool player.
And judging by the latest Inside Training video on LFCTV, the 30-year-old is already making friends among his new teammates.
Having paired up with Luis Diaz for a good old-fashioned game of head-tennis, Endo faced off against Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Just to add to the pressure, captain Van Dijk wandered across to watch the big match.
Unfortunately for Endo, he ended up costing his team a point. Approaching the net with a header, the Japanese got things horribly wrong, his pass for Diaz skewing off his head and out of bounds.
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“What is this?!” laughed a disbelieving Virgil. “What is this, Endo?!”
Better luck next time, Wataru!
Virgil welcomes Endo in his own way
Rather than being an admonishment from Van Dijk, this is actually a great way of getting Endo more relaxed in his new surroundings.
Virgil wasn’t decrying the poor quality of his new teammate. Rather, it was a playful way of poking fun at him for an errant pass.
As captain and leader of the side, Van Dijk is perhaps an imposing player for someone like Endo to come in alongside.
But this teasing shows the side of the Dutchman that his teammates see so very often. He isn’t a strict disciplinarian like a Jordan Henderson or a James Milner.
Instead, he’s a relaxed and calm individual. A leader yes, but one who commands respect rather than demanding it.
It could well be that as captain, Virgil is going out of his way to make Wataru feel at home. But we think this is simply the 32-year-old’s natural character.
Either way, it should all add up to the Japan skipper feeling settled and ready to take on Newcastle this weekend.