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Arne Slot says Liverpool player with no Premier League starts this season ‘will be important for us’ in the run-in

Giuseppe Labellarte

Tue 18 February 2025 20:45, UK

Liverpool have enjoyed a bright season so far as they remain in pole position for the Premier League title.

Liverpool have also cruised into the last 16 of the Champions League and are also in the final of the League Cup.

Title and cup wins in football require everyone in the team to be at their best, from the regular starters to the fringe players who seldom play.

Now, Arne Slot has spoken highly of one of his fringe players, saying he’s always stepped up when called upon and is “mentally so strong”.

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Arne Slot says Wataru Endo ‘will be important’ for Liverpool in coming weeks

The player in question is Wataru Endo, who has done well when called upon over the course of the season.

Endo has struggled for game time in the Premier League and the Champions League this season, with no starts in the former and just one in the latter.

However, the Japan international has featured off the bench 14 times in both competitions, and has made starts in the League Cup and FA Cup.

Slot, speaking to the Liverpool , praised Endo for how “mentally strong” he is to be able to step up when called upon despite lacking momentum.

The Reds manager said Endo has been important for Liverpool this season and “will be important for us” in the coming weeks too.

“I think Wata has been really useful for us this season,” said Slot.

“It’s not always a matter of how many minutes you play, you can be very important in two minutes and less important in 90 minutes.

“What makes Wata special, in my opinion, is every time we have to rely on him – if it’s five, 10, 20 or 25 minutes – he shows up.

“That sounds much more simple than it is because if a player has hardly had a lot of playing time then to be mentally so strong that if the team needs you, you can bring your best performance in – that is not always easy.

“Because mostly you see players that don’t play a lot find it difficult to get their rhythm or their quality in the less playing time they get.

“The only thing is defending is always more easy than creating. So if a player who hasn’t played for a long time and he has to create something, it is always more difficult than defending.

“He’s been important for us and he will be important for us in the upcoming weeks as well.”

How Endo has fared for Liverpool this season

Endo has made 21 appearances for Liverpool this season, of which six have been starts – one in the Champions League, two in the FA Cup and three in the League Cup.

Endo showed exactly what he can do when he came on as a substitute against Wolves, helping break up play and doing a good job in stopping the opposition from threatening as much.