Liverpool ace shares what he has realised about Klopp after chat with former rival

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Liverpool swooped to sign Takumi Minamino in the January transter window.

Liverpool new boy Takumi Minamino has told the club’s matchday programme, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo, that he spoke to Shinji Kagawa before joining the Reds.

Minamino had starred with Red Bull Salzburg, and after impressing in two games against Liverpool in the Champions League, Jurgen Klopp made his move.

Liverpool agreed a deal in December for Minamino, meaning that he joined up with the Reds on January 1^st, and it’s been slow going for him so far.

The Japanese international has played just 66 minutes of Premier League action, whilst his only other two appearances have come in the FA Cup.

Klopp is no doubt bedding him in slowly, just as he did with Andrew Robertson and Fabinho, and Minamino has opened up about his move to Anfield.

He has admitted that he did speak to Southampton’s Maya Yoshida about a move to the Premier League, but didn’t let on that he was joining Liverpool.

Minamino also spoke to Kagawa, who was in an interesting position as he worked closely with Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, and also played for rivals Manchester United.

Minamino claims that Kagawa spoke highly of Klopp, and he himself now realises that he is one of the best coaches in the world, just as Kagawa told him – and loves the freedom Klopp has given him at Anfield.

“I spoke to Maya Yoshida at Southampton but I didn’t ask him about Liverpool,” said Minamino. “I just told him that I would be coming to the Premier League, but I never told him that it would be Liverpool! I also spoke to Shinji Kagawa as he had played for Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund, too. Klopp talked to me about Shinji and Shinji talked about Klopp and from that I could sense that they had a really good relationship.”

“Shinji said that Klopp was one of the best coaches in the world and now that I am here and working for him I have also realised he is one of the best coaches around. Two or three days after joining the club, [Klopp] said I could play any way I wanted to play and just enjoy playing. As a player, I was really happy he said that. In the locker room, he is very good at motivating players, so I want to respond to his motivation, even in the practice sessions as well as in the actual games.”

“So the feeling I had about Klopp isn’t very different before and after I joined. Shinji said that he was very passionate on the pitch and that he tried to understand players and since I have been here, I can see that he is exactly like that,” he added.