‘We didn’t give him enough chances’ – Klopp explains why Liverpool let Minamino join Southampton on loan

Jurgen Klopp has explained Liverpool’s decision to loan Takumi Minamino to Southampton, admitting he hasn’t given the Japanese star enough chances to shine at Anfield this season.

Minamino left late on deadline day after the Saints were able to secure a short-team deal for the 26-year-old. Southampton will pay loan fees of £ 500,000, although Liverpool have rejected their request to insert an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.

Signed from Salzburg last January, Minamino has made 31 appearances for the Reds since. However, only 12 of them have been starts, and only four of those starts have been in the Premier League.

His last came at Crystal Palace in December, when he scored his first Premier League goal, and Liverpool’s opener, in a 7-0 victory. Since then, and despite the dramatic drop in champions form after Christmas, he has been limited to just six minutes in the league.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Klopp explained the idea behind allowing him to be on loan.

“We really thought about it,” he said. “Takumi is an incredibly good player. We didn’t give him enough chances, it’s the truth.

“Sometimes for different reasons. Sometimes it was just the size when defending the set pieces, because we weren’t tall enough. That stuff makes a difference why one player plays and another doesn’t. .

“There weren’t a lot of clubs where I thought it made a lot of sense, but Southampton is one. He’s here for 17 games. If he stays in shape I think he has a good chance of play all 17 games, which helps everyone.

“The only thing he lacked was a few games in a row. It’s tough here. I would have loved to keep him just to have the option, but in the end, Takumi is a long-term project, he l. ‘always has been. We see a lot of potential in him and so it makes perfect sense that he would go out and hopefully play 17 games and then come back in a different frame of mind and confidence. J ‘hope it’s a win-win situation. “

Minamino could make his Manchester United debut on Tuesday night after filling out the necessary paperwork on time.

“He just has to enjoy the football there again,” Klopp added. “He is an exceptional professional, a high level talent, a very good player.

“But the problem is we have a very good team. My job is to make decisions based on what I imagine might be the outcome of the game. The people who were fighting for a place with him were in. very good shape, Shaqiri when it came the back was in very good shape and we all know what Divock has done in the past.

“Sometimes, like I said before, only the size can make a difference. It hasn’t often worked that Taki can play or play, and it’s also 100% my fault. But we all think two now, Taki and I, that we can fix it by playing it 17 times in the Premier League.

“He has nothing to change or improve, he just needs to play football, gain confidence and pace, and everything will be fine.”