Liverpool's forgotten man eager to prove Arne Slot wrong and snub transfer exit

One of Liverpool's first-team stars is willing to stay and fight for his place under Arne Slot despite falling down the pecking order this season.

The Reds have started the season in fine fashion with nine wins from their first 10 games in all competitions - but that has seen the new manager largely stick with a very similar side for the majority of games after finding a winning formula.

The likes of Caoimhin Kelleher , Jarell Quansah , Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo have all had to bide their time so far this season but with a hectic schedule in place, there are plenty of opportunities to either feature off the bench or start the odd game here and there.

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In the case of Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo , however, things haven't quite gone to plan in the 2024-25 campaign, with the 31-year-old being limited to just six minutes of Premier League action so far, with Slot clearly not convinced by his capabilities.

However, the former Stuttgart man, who was only signed in the summer of 2023, is determined to stay and fight for his place under the Dutchman despite his limited opportunities so far this season.

That's despite recent speculation linking him with a move away from Anfield as early as January, with Premier League trio Ipswich , Wolves and Fulham all said to be monitoring his situation ahead of the New Year.

Italian giant Inter Milan has also been credited with an interest in the tough-tackling midfielder, who is confident his chance to break into Slot's starting XI will come in due course, with the Reds preparing for another hectic schedule over the next few months.

Marseille also saw an $15.4million (£11.8m/€14.1m) bid rejected for Endo in July before tying up a deal for Tottenham's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and there is currently no suggestion the Ligue 1 outfit will return for a second time in January.

Speaking on international duty earlier this week, the midfielder reiterated his desire to remain at the club to Japanese outlet Synchronous , putting to bed any rumors of a January exit.

“We have a new manager. I think he wants to see every player," Endo said. “It is too early to judge anything. A club like Liverpool needs the depth of the squad. It needs all the players to play in all these competitions and to win titles.

“I have no idea what people are saying about me, but my plan is staying here. I have been doing what I should do and getting myself in shape.”

Slot recently declared Endo's all-action, five-minute cameo in the recent 1-0 win at Crystal Palace "says a lot about him as a person," suggesting there may still be some hope for the Japan international yet under his stewardship.

The head coach told reporters after the win: “I sometimes, at certain clubs or other teams, see then a player coming in a bit like ‘you only use me for five or seven minutes?’.

“But if you look at how Wata came in now, how good he was on the ball but also the second balls that he won, he had only in these seven minutes a very good impact. Wata, with only playing five minutes, he gives that performance – that says a lot about him as a person.”