Virgil van Dijk seriously impressed by ‘machine’ Wataru Endo for Liverpool against Southampton

Add as preferred source on Google

Liverpool are one game away from another Carabao Cup final as they secured a 2-1 win against Southampton at St Mary’s.

The Reds are in a fantastic position to defend their crown and booked their place in the semis thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott, while Cameron Archer got his name on the scoresheet for the hosts.

Arne Slot was missing from the touchline as he served his one-match ban, while a handful of key players like Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch were rested.

Liverpool named a much-changed starting XI for their game at St Mary’s and Van Dijk was particularly impressed with an experienced man’s showing on the night.

Virgil van Dijk and Curtis Jones laud Wataru Endo after Liverpool vs Southampton

Wataru Endo has been on the fringes of the squad under Slot but has shown his quality as a substitute as he has come to close out several games across all competitions.

The Japan captain, however, has played every game in the Carabao Cup so far this season and was once again named in the starting XI, this time as a centre-back.

Endo played alongside Jarell Quansah at the back and although he was involved in a jittery moment or two, he got stuck in and fought tooth and nail for his team to help them to a win.

He was named Man of the Match and took to Instagram to celebrate the win as he posted two pictures after the Reds booked their place in the semis.

Van Dijk was seriously impressed by his performance as he commented two fire emojis, while Curtis Jones wrote ‘Machine.’

What did Slot say about Endo?

Slot praised Endo for his cameos for Liverpool earlier this season, but against Southampton in the cup, he was one of the senior players on the pitch and showed exactly why he’s a valuable member of the squad.

The Dutchman singled out Endo for special praise after the game as he played in an unfamiliar position to get the job done for his team.

“If I have to give someone a big compliment, it is Endo Wata,” said Slot after the game.

“Because [he played] in a different position and playing such a good game in these circumstances. That shows you what a quality player he is, but maybe mainly what kind of mentality and personality he has.”

​