Jurgen Klopp outlines his early plans for Liverpool new boy Takumi Minamino
The Japan international will begin training at Melwood at the turn of the year without pressure to immediately adjust
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Your support makes all the difference.Jurgen Klopp will allow Takumi Minamino time to acclimatise to Liverpool’s methodology and the manager’s demands when he joins the club on January 1.
The £7.25million signing from Red Bull Salzburg will link up with his title-chasing teammates at the turn of the year without unnecessary pressure to immediately adjust and perform.
The Japan international is already accustomed to an aggressive, high-pressing system with the Austrian champions employing such a style all through their age groups.
Minamino spent five years at Salzburg developing what Klopp listed as “his skills, decision-making in tight areas, speed and his desire to win the ball back in counter-press.”
Liverpool, however, have unique patterns to their attacking play and the 24-year-old will need to learn the combinations and have an automated understanding with the team.
Klopp has shown patience with new recruits, as evidenced with the easing in of players like Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andy Robertson.
“I would be happy even if he was only half as good as he is now,” the manager said when asked about what he expects from Minamino. “He could help us and he will help us. We will see how he quick it goes, but the way he plays is not too different to what we do.
“A lot of things he learned already at Salzburg, that makes it good for us. But we have a lot of things about our game different to what Salzburg are doing. What he is used to is more the defensive side of the style, but he is an offensive player. So offensively, how we can bring him into a situation where he can do things instinctively and not because we told him to do it?
“We speak every year about why a player is not in all the time – there is absolutely no pressure on him coming in January. This team is not struggling without him. We want extra quality with him – different quality with him. He is a really good player and that’s what we got.
“We will see when from we can use him and at what point we see the 100 per cent Takumi. There is absolutely no pressure on the boy, because he has so many good things which can help us.”
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