Takumi Minamino used his time in lockdown in Liverpool very smartly.
The Japan international, who arrived shy and without a superb grasp of the language, worked incredibly hard on his English, spent days learning about the culture of the city and bulked up in the gym to deal with the physical demands of the Premier League.
This is according to James Pearce in the Athletic, who praised Minamino’s performance in the game v Everton, despite the fact Jurgen Klopp subbed him after 45 minutes.
Minamino grew into the match and we actually looked far less creative when he was replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who never does his best work on the right-flank.
According to Pearce, Minamino’s work on his English has made him a far more confident character in and around Melwood and it has impressed both the coaching staff and his team-mates in equal measure.
“Taki has looked fantastic coming back in,” said James Milner, for example, reported in the same article.
We’re not sure if the 25-year-old will stay in the side for the upcoming clash with Crystal Palace, largely due to Mo Salah being fit enough to start, but we hope to see him get more minutes – and will be utterly delighted when he registers his first goal or assist for the club since his January switch from Rb Salzburg.
It’s coming!