The new Liverpool signing Wataru Endo from VfB Stuttgart could possibly miss as many as six games in 2024 due to Japan duty.
The Reds have had their ups and downs in the transfer market this summer. With two new incomings so far, the Anfield outfit has said goodbyes to many players.
And to make up for all those departures, the club urgently needed at very least one new signing. Although, they missed out on signing Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo.
However, the club has successfully landed the Wataru Endo deal. The Anfield giants sealed the deal at around €18M.
He has now completed his Liverpool Medical and might even feature in the upcoming match against Bournemouth.
Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness said on Endo’s departure,
“He has the possibility at the age of 30 to move to Liverpool.
It’s a dream of his.From the club’s point of view, we’re speaking about a good package economically.
From a sporting and human perspective, he is an important player. He was always there in important moments.”
Wataru Endo to miss Liverpool games for Japan duty
With the good news of this signing, the Reds and Jurgen Klopp have got another thing to worry about.
Endo has been captain for both Stuttgart and Japan and considering his health records, he is very much injury-proof. He has accumulated 50 caps for his nation.
Meanwhile, the Yokohama,-born defensive midfielder is also expected to be joining the Japan national team as they march to Asian Cup in January of 2024.
He will be unavailable from January 12 to February 10 considering Japan wins all the matches and go through to the final.
So Klopp and Co. will miss the man in PL matches against Bournemouth on January 13, Chelsea on January 31, Arsenal on February 3, and Burnley on February 10.
The 30-year-old will also miss the second leg of Carabao Cup semi-final scheduled on January 22 and FA Cup fourth-round tie scheduled on January 27 if the Reds manage to qualify.
So LFC will face a similar kind of situation that they have faced regarding Mohamed Salah, who also is quite often off of the team due to international duty during that time for the AFCON.
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