"We miss him" - Jurgen Klopp on Takumi Minamino

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he misses Takumi Minamino.

The forward joined Monaco for a transfer fee of £15.4 million back in June.

Minamino was behind the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Duiz, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota in the pecking order at Anfield.

With that being the case, the Japan international only made 24 appearances for Liverpool's first-team last season.

So, Minamino had to leave Anfield if he wanted to play regular senior football. However, Klopp isn't taking the 27-year-old's departure too well going by his latest comments.

“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 (domestic cup).

“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.”

Anfield Watch Verdict

Minamino was a handy player for Liverpool last season. Despite being a squad player, the forward scored 10 goals and registered one assist across the 2021-22 campaign.

So, we can certainly see why Klopp will miss Minamino. But, the Japan international has now moved on and we have to do the same.

We wish the 27-year-old all the best ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. Minamino should play a key role for Monaco.