Wataru Endo came off the bench to help Liverpool see through their 3-2 victory at Southampton, with Arne Slot saying “that’s what we need” from the squad.
Endo made his sixth substitute appearance of the Premier League campaign as he replaced Darwin Nunez in the 90th minute of Liverpool’s win at St Mary’s.
With the Reds already leading 3-2, the Japan captain was sent on to hold onto that scoreline with eight minutes of stoppage time to play.
He was busy throughout his cameo, then, as despite only touching the ball five times and completing two passes, Endo made one interception, one recovery, one successful dribble and even one touch in the opposition’s box, per FotMob.
That came with an aggressive run towards the corner late on, working with Alexis Mac Allister to hold onto the ball at a crucial stage.
While Endo is far from a key player for Slot, his latest cameo earned more praise from the head coach.
“That’s what you know if you have so many quality players,” Slot told LFCTV on the positive impact of his squad on the whole.
“That’s what makes the team strong as well, that the ones coming in don’t come in with the wrong attitude; they always come in with the right attitude.
“It’s not more than normal if you play for this club that you have this attitude, but that’s also what these players show every time.
“I just mentioned Macca and Lucho, but also Wata Endo who came in, maybe only for 10 minutes, but he was important in that 10 minutes.
“The amount of balls he won and the effort he put in.
“That’s, in the end, what makes a team strong and that’s what we need.”
Endo has only played 21 minutes of normal time across seven games in the Premier League and Champions League this season, with his exposure being almost exclusively in the Carabao Cup.
But it is a credit to his mentality that he is able to come on and help see out a result: three of his six cameos in the league have been when holding a one-goal lead, while another was in the 2-2 draw at Arsenal.
While it will not be the role he was hoping for under Slot, his contribution has still been invaluable so far for a side now eight points clear at the top of the league.
This may prove to be Endo’s final season at Anfield, but if he comes away with silverware his will have been a vital, worthwhile campaign.
