Jurgen Klopp has weighed in on Takumi Minamino’s Liverpool departure and discussed the time he spent at the club.
The Japan international completed a move to AS Monaco earlier in the window and brought to an end his two year spell on Merseyside.
The German boss also went as far as claiming that the Reds wouldn’t have lifted any silverware at all last season if it wasn’t for the ex-RB Salzburg man – he finished the campaign as the club’s top goalscorer in both domestic cup competitions and Klopp is certain that the 27-year-old will shine in the south of France.
“Yes, he will succeed in Ligue 1, I wish him all the best,” the German boss told the club’s official website.
“We miss him, honestly. He is a fantastic player and he was a fantastic part of our squad. We should not forget that as an offensive player coming to Liverpool in a time when the settled front three were Mane, Firmino and Salah and the new signing was Diogo Jota, it is not like you have to be a bad player to not be in the first line-up. No, you have to be a world-class player to be around and be the next one coming on.
“Taki did incredibly well for us and I would have loved to keep him, but I understand 100 per cent he wants to play more often and more regularly. That’s absolutely right from his point of view, 100 per cent. We wish him all the best. We can easily say we would not have won one trophy if Taki Minamino had not been with us last year, he scored all the decisive goals to get us to the final.
“I know that he enjoyed his time at Liverpool but of course he wanted to play more, that’s why it made sense to move on and go to Monaco, which is a super club for him. I am really convinced he will do incredibly well.”
Minamino scored 10 goals across all competitions last term, including four goals in the League Cup and three goals in the FA Cup, but we certainly understand why our No. 18 was eager to leave.
He made just 24 appearances for the club last term and has publicly admitted that he didn’t really feel valued at the club.
He will have learnt a lot from his time at Anfield, though, and will arrive at Monaco confident that he can be one of their main men in the upcoming campaign.
With the 2022 Qatar World Cup coming up at the end of the year, Taki will be keen to feature regularly for the Ligue 1 outfit to ensure he can playing a starring role for his country in the Middle-East.
We wish him all the best for the future and thank him for his services to the club – YNWA, Taki.