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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has lauded the performance of midfielder Wataru Endo in the 3-1 Premier League win at home against Bournemouth on Saturday (August 19).
Endo arrived from VfB Stuttgart this summer for €20 million. He came on for his club debut in the second half of the Bournemouth game after another new signing - Alexis Mac Alister - was sent off in the 57th minute, with the Reds leading 2-1.
To their credit, Klopp's men scored the next goal of the game despite their numerical inferiority as they registered their first win of the league campaign.
Ahead of the league clash at Newcastle United on Sunday (August 27), the manager hailed Endo for hitting the ground running despite having only half a training session. Klopp said (as per Liverpool Echo) about Endo in the press conference:
"It's early days but he can (add balance). He only had half a session last week and came in to defend with 10 men. He did exceptionally well for that. We've had him for 3 sessions now this week, he looks good. I was happy but it was not expected."
The Reds are fifth in the league standings after two games.
"Mohamed Salah is a Liverpool player" - Jurgen Klopp
During the same press conference, Klopp was also asked about his take on star attacker Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian has been linked with a shock switch to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, who are reportedly willing to make Salah the league's best-paid player. Currently, Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo (€92.4 million) is the SPL's best-paid player, while Salah's salary at Anfield (€20.4 million, as per Marca) pales in comparison.
Klopp, though, refuted the reports, reiterating that Salah is a Liverpool player, and there isn't much else to talk about:
"Yes (there isn't). It's difficult to talk about media stories as there's nothing to talk about from our point of view. Mo Salah is a Liverpool player. There's nothing there. If there was something the answer would be no (he's not for sale)."
Since arriving from AS Roma in 2017, the 31-year-old has bagged 187 goals and 90 assists in 307 games across competitions. He's the Reds' all-time fifth-highest scorer and has won every major competition with the side.
