Jurgen Klopp was delighted with the “super” debut of Takumi Minamino as Liverpool’s second-string lineup beat Everton 1-0 at Anfield in the FA Cup.
Minamino made his first appearance for The Reds having joined last week from Red Bull Salzburg. The Japan international played in the middle of the front three and Klopp was delighted with his contribution, considering it was his first game.
Curtis Jones scored the only goal of the game just a minute after Minamino was replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who was returning from injury.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Klopp was singing Minamino’s praises when asked for his verdict on the new signing’s performance.
“Super, outstanding. Exactly the player we wanted, exactly the player we wished for.
“Your first game in a team you don’t know, if it’s a settled team it’s already difficult – this team we threw more or less on the pitch with two sessions together. And then showing this kind of game understanding, football skills are exceptional, attitude is outstanding, led the chasing pack so often in different situations, which I loved.
“He didn’t look tired, but because we don’t know him that long we just wanted to save him a little bit, so took him off. It was a nice add-on to have Oxlade back, he looked pretty lively when he came on. He trained only one day, two days now, and that’s why he didn’t start. Super.”
Minamino may feature a lot more for Liverpool between now and May than many of us realise. The Reds are still battling on three fronts – the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
Next up, Liverpool travel to play Spurs in London on Saturday evening.
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