Wataru Endo has very much endeared himself to Liverpool supporters since arriving at the club. His story is very much the kind of story that we love in football.
Endo arrived at Anfield as an underdog. From the moment he joined the club he was compared to the player Liverpool coveted in Moises Caicedo. Endo was seen as a discounted and cheap option – essentially a panic buy. An alternative to the main asset, whom Liverpool could not get their hands on.
However, in the end, that was completely disproven. Looking at the trajectory of Endo and Caicedo’s season – it’s clear that so far the Japanese international has been the better signing. Endo has been up there as one of the Liverpool’s better players. Meanwhile, Caicedo has struggled to adjust to life at Chelsea.
Now Endo has been speaking about his Liverpool career in his homeland. And he’s even picked who he thinks is the strongest Liverpool player in the squad right now.
Wataru Endo on Ibrahima Konate
Speaking to Goal Japan’s TikTok page, Endo was asked to select his ‘perfect’ player. That meant choosing one player for each attribute. For the left foot, he chose Mohamed Salah, and for the right Trent Alexander-Arnold. But it was for the strength question which may have surprised some. Endo picked Ibrahima Konate rather than the likes of Virgil van Dijk, which is an interesting choice.
The Frenchman hasn’t quite stood-out in the same way on the pitch for his strength. Especially in comparison to Van Dijk. However, Endo will know better than us considering he trains with him everyday.
Clearly, this could be an underrated trait of Konate’s – something that will only develop as he matures and reaches his peak. Already though at 24-years-old he looks like a brilliant signing for Liverpool.
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