James Pearce explains Takumi Minamino absence against Norwich City

Takumi Minamino hasn’t hit the ground running since joining Liverpool in January. The Japanese playmaker has arguably been thrown into some tough fixtures such as Wolves away and has to his credit shown grit and fight.

However, the lack of an end product has had a number of fans questioning the player’s abilities. It threatened to boil over when he was excluded from the match squad for the trip to Carrow Road last week. (h/t Mirror)

James Pearce of the Athletic has, however, much to the relief of Reds fans put their concerns to rest. (h/t Twitter)

Takumi Minamino has failed to hit the ground running

Pearce went on to confirm that Minamino’s absence was only because of the Reds’ incredible squad depth rather than any untoward reason. With the likes of James Milner, Sadio Mande and Fabinho returning from injury and Adam Lallana recovering from illness, Klopp has more options to choose from.

The Japanese international has made just four appearances since joining Liverpool. He is yet to register a goal or an assist. His quality cannot be questioned considering his performances for RB Salzburg. It could only be a matter of him gaining familiarity with Jurgen Klopp’s style of play and the demands of English football.

Andrew Robertson and Fabinho were both used sparingly in their first few months on Merseyside. The odd appearances they made early on failed to get fans’ pulses raising desiring much to be asked for.

However, by easing them into the first team, Klopp ensured that they committed themselves to learn the Liverpool way of playing away from the spotlight.

Both players are today indispensable members of the first team, thus vindicating Klopp’s approach. The same can be expected of Minamino given the time.

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A versatile player, Minamino can play in a variety of positions in midfield. He ran the show for Salzburg as the Austrians gave Liverpool a proper fight in the Champions League group stage.