Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has compared Stuttgart midfielder Wataru Endo to James Milner.
The reliable Fabrizio Romano recently reported that Wataru Endo has already had his medical ahead of his proposed move to Liverpool, and Nicol thinks he will be a good addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
Speaking on ESPN about the 30-year-old, Nicol said: “For me, this is a younger version of James Milner, and James Milner did a job. And that’s what Liverpool absolutely right now need.
“We saw it against Chelsea. They need somebody in the middle of the park who’s just going to do the dirty work, get around, get the ball and give it.”
Klopp has been looking for a new midfielder after watching Jordan Henderson and Fabinho depart for Saudi Arabia, and he now appears to be closing in on one, which will come as a huge boost.
After seeing both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia join Chelsea, the German would have been disappointed. But with Endo arriving, that is at least another body that can improve Liverpool’s depth in midfield.
Wataru Endo may have to win some Liverpool supporters over
It is clear that Endo was not Liverpool’s first-choice midfield target to replace Henderson and Fabinho, so it would not be a shock if some supporters of the Merseyside club were not too convinced about his arrival.
The Japan international is now likely to have some doubters that he is going to have to prove himself to.
Whatever the case, with Fabinho leaving, Klopp needed to bring in a new midfielder. And Endo’s profile looks like the right one, with the Stuttgart star being described as a “warrior”.
His name may not be as glamorous as Caicedo and Lavia’s, two young and exciting footballers who proved themselves in the Premier League last season, but Endo still sounds like the kind of player Klopp is currently missing after losing his Brazilian defensive midfielder.
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