Wataru Endo certainly looked to be the least inspiring signing in a summer window which saw the Reds also land Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.
The Japan international would not have been a household name before his move to Anfield. And it did appear to take him a little while to get going on Merseyside.
In fact, at one stage only last month, Steve Nicol predicted that Liverpool will not be winning the Premier League title if Endo is starting regularly in holding midfield.
Endo struggled in the win at Crystal Palace, being replaced at half-time. And it really did appear that Liverpool may need to make signing another holding midfielder a priority in the January transfer window if they wanted to win anything this season.
But after Endo’s performance in the win over Newcastle on Monday, Nicol told ESPN that he may have been hasty in writing the 30-year-old off so soon. And he suggested that it is now a big blow that he is set to now go away on international duty.
“Yeah he’s surprised me over the last two or three weeks,” he said. “Initially, his first two or three games, I didn’t think he looked as though he was good enough. But whether he’s worked it out, whether Klopp’s had a word with him, whatever it may be, he actually now looks as though he’s a real part of the Liverpool machine.
“So yeah, as well as Jones played today and as well as Elliott can play, there really isn’t that grinder in the middle of the park that’s going to do the job that he’s been doing when he’s away. So that’s going to be a question mark, who does that role.”
Endo definitely appears to have stepped up more recently. And with that, a lot of us have to admit that we made the same mistake as Nicol.
It is hard to see him ever reaching the levels Fabinho got to during his time at Liverpool. But it could make a massive difference to Jurgen Klopp’s side’s fortunes if they have someone in that position on the field who puts in a 7/10 performance every single week.
