Wataru Endo reveals what Liverpool staff keep on asking him about his Japan teammates

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Liverpool players have jetted off across the globe to meet up with their international teams this week.

After such a good start to their Premier League season, it’s a shame that the Reds’ party has to be broken up already.

Just as Liverpool were starting to hit their stride under Arne Slot, we are slapped with a two-week break. Fans will be itching for the wait to be over already.

In the meantime, though, international football can provide a decent distraction. 20 members of the Liverpool squad are away with their countries.

And, according to Wataru Endo, the Liverpool coaching staff will also be paying very close attention to the upcoming fixtures.

Wataru Endo reveals Liverpool staff questions

Although he has now been reduced to a bit-part role with Liverpool, Endo is still a big player indeed for Japan.

The 31-year-old is the current captain of his country and will be a key man as they take on China on Thursday morning and Bahrain on Tuesday.

The Japanese will likely be favourites to come out on top of a World Cup qualifying group that contains Australia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, as well as China and Bahrain.

That’s a result of having a number of players like Endo, who are playing at the top of the European game.

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Indeed, Liverpool were heavily linked with Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad this summer and according to Endo, staff back at Anfield have been continuously asking him about some of his international teammates.

“I have the impression that the evaluation of Japan players who have moved to England is gradually increasing, and I think there is a lot of interest in Japan players from all over the world,” Liverpool’s No.3 said via Soccer Digest Web.

“I also get asked by the Liverpool staff about the Japan players, ‘What about him?’ It’s not that we want to transfer him, it’s that he’s a good player, or something like that.”

Which players could Liverpool be asking about?

This is perhaps not a surprise to hear from Endo. It’s worth remembering that Liverpool also had Takumi Minamino on the books until 2022.

Japanese players tend to be extremely well drilled, very technically and tactically aware and able to take on and adapt to new information. That suits Liverpool all ends up.

As a result, links to Kubo over the summer made a fair bit of sense. The 23-year-old is one of Japan’s most talismanic figures up top.

Another is Brighton man Kaoru Mitoma. Mitoma has been linked with Liverpool recently, too, and the 27-year-old is no doubt one of the players on the Reds’ radar.

Elsewhere, Daichi Kamada and Ko Itakura are two higher-profile players to have been mentioned in connection with Liverpool, while goalkeeper Zion Suzuki is another interesting prospect.