Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo is confident he will feature more under new head coach Arne Slot once he returns from international duty.
Endo has made only one appearance for the Reds so far this season, coming off the bench for the last minute of their 2-0 win at home to Brentford. The trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have started all three of Liverpool’s matches under Slot to date.
However, the 31-year-old is confident he will get a chance to impress Slot given Liverpool’s congested run of fixtures coming up.
“When the international break is finished there is a run of games so I’ll get more chances,” he said to AFP. “You can’t just use 11 players when you have a lot of games. I’m sure I’ll get my turn.”
He added: “My physical condition won’t be a problem. I’ve been training well and I’m not worried about it.”
Endo came close to leaving Liverpool just one year on from joining the club this summer. Former side Stuttgart were linked with the midfielder, while Marseille saw an £11.8m bid knocked back.
Liverpool acquired Endo in 2023 after they missed out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea. Endo’s impact at Anfield was so significant that Jurgen Klopp joked they were ‘lucky’ that the Blues beat them to their top two targets.
Endo made 43 appearances across all competitions in his first year at Anfield, scoring twice.
Liverpool, who have won all three games to nil to open the 2024/25 season, are back in Premier League action on September 14 at home to Nottingham Forest. They will then begin their UEFA Champions League campaign away at AC Milan three days later.
