Arne Slot was so impressed with Wataru Endo‘s performance at Southampton that he twice stopped journalists to give praise to his makeshift centre-back.
Endo has only started three games for Liverpool this season, all in the Carabao Cup, with his role outside of that competition a marginal one.
But Slot is clearly taken by the Japan captain’s commitment and professionalism despite those circumstances, knowing he still gives 100 percent in training and when called upon.
That can be overlooked by those outside of the club, but the head coach was eager to praise Endo’s contribution in the 2-1 win over Southampton on Wednesday night having filled in at centre-back.
During his post-match press conference Slot was asked about his thoughts on the performances of a side with eight changes from the weekend – and quickly turned the focus to Endo.
“If I have to give someone a big compliment it should be Wata Endo,” he said after discussing Harvey Elliott‘s display.
“Because on a different position, 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.”
Southampton 1-2 Liverpool
Slot was evidently keen to turn the spotlight to his No. 3, as he took a similar approach in his interview with LFCTV.
“Maybe you’re going to ask me [about this], if not I’m going to come back to it,” he interjected after a question on the academy players used.
“Wata Endo is not a young player, he’s experienced, but we’ve put him in a different position than he usually does and it’s such a great mentality and personality – and quality – if you can play a game like this in a position he’s not used to.
“He was one of the main players why we could win this game and he deserves all the respect from me, from his teammates and also from the fans.”
Per FotMob, Endo made the second-most defensive actions of any player at St Mary’s (nine), behind only Southampton‘s Jan Bednarek (10), winning all four of his attempted tackles (joint-most).
He also won more duels than any other player (11), with a success rate of 84.6 percent, including a notable aerial duel up against 6’7″ striker Paul Onuachu.
While he is unlikely to break into Slot’s plans as either first-choice defensive midfielder or centre-back, this latest display shows how much the Dutchman values Endo.
