Takumi Minamino made his Premier League debut for us last night v Wolves, playing his part in the 2-1 win at Molineux.
Wolves were playing a high-intensity brand of football and it was definitely more of a challenge than the Anfield tie v Everton he played earlier in the month.
He was largely neat and tidy, but after hearing Jurgen Klopp’s post-match comments, we’re actually more impressed with the performance – as the Japanese played the second-half with an injury to his calf.
David Lynch of the Standard tweeted the quotes last night:
Klopp on Minamino: "It was really difficult for Taki. He felt immediately his calf, he needed treatment at half-time. That was, for his first Premier League game, exceptional."
— David Lynch (@dmlynch) January 23, 2020
Now, we just hope Minamino will be ok for the FA Cup 4th Round tie with Shrewsbury, which he would have been a certainty to start otherwise…
Klopp will shuffle his pack to make sure everyone is ready for West Ham next Wednesday – with the likes of Divock Origi, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott all expected to play from the outset.