"You wouldn’t know that he had not played" - Roy Keane on 27-year-old Red

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane has praised Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino for his performance against Norwich City at Anfield earlier this week.

The 27-year-old found the back of the net twice during the aforementioned FA Cup fifth round clash.

Keane said that he was impressed with Minamino's efforts considering he has not been a regular for Liverpool's first-team this season.

The Japan international has only played 891 minutes of football for the Reds across the 2021-22 campaign.

“When you look at the way in which he scored those two goals, you wouldn’t know that he had not played a lot of football because they are both good finishes,” Keane told ITV Sport, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

“It helps that he is a popular member of the dressing room because he comes in, scores goals and the whole team is happy for him.”

Liverpool ended up defeating Norwich City 2-1. The Reds will face either Huddersfield Town or Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Anfield Watch Verdict

Minamino has certainly played well when he has been given an opportunity this season. The forward has scored nine goals and registered one assist.

Minamino has also been averaging a WhoScored player rating of 6.50 across the 2021-22 club campaign, which is not bad considering he does not start too many games.

It will interesting to see if the 27-year-old looks to stay at Anfield beyond this season. Minamino is clearly a capable footballer, so we doubt he will be happy being a squad player for the rest 0f his career.

The reality is, he is behind the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.

Minamino's contract expires in the summer of 2024. The Japan international possesses a current market value of €12 million, which highlights that the club could make a profit if they were to sell him in the near future.