Micah Richards was highly impressed by two Liverpool players in particular during the 1-1 draw against his former club Manchester City on Sunday.
Alexis Mac Allister’s second-half penalty ensured that the spoils were shared at Anfield, although the Sky Sports pundit was awestruck by two others who he witnessed firsthand at the match, which he was covering as an analyst for the broadcaster.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, the 35-year-old said: “Harvey Elliott, what a player he is! He works so hard for the team.
“When you are watching the game on TV, you don’t see like people’s positions and all that, and the cameras panning from one position to another, but when you are at the game, you see exactly how hard he works. He was composed in possession and he really worked hard for the team.
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“[Wataru] Endo in midfield, wow! When he came to Liverpool, I was thinking, ‘Okay, good experienced player’, but I didn’t think he could get to the levels of that in terms of the intensity of the game.
“We know that the Bundesliga is back and forth, but I thought he was outstanding in the middle of the park yesterday. He really was.”
The ever-dependable Endo did a marvellous job for Liverpool again yesterday, winning six duels and four tackles along with posting a 95% passing success rate (Sofascore). He did brilliantly to win one particular 50-50 against Kevin De Bruyne, who was substituted soon after.
Meanwhile, Elliott – who started as a right winger before Mo Salah was introduced off the bench – played one key pass, delivered two accurate crosses and won one tackle (Sofascore).
The 20-year-old has been a consistently reliable performer for the Reds this season and looks a far more mature and refined player compared to this time last year, and his development must surely have left Jurgen Klopp delighted.
It’s very rarely that Man City are outplayed in midfield, but Endo and latterly Elliott were valuable contributors towards Liverpool achieving that distinction on Sunday, and both could have a huge part to play in the run-in to a season which could still end gloriously for Jurgen Klopp’s side.