'Be the guy who played against us like crazy' – Jürgen Klopp on Takumi Minamino
Jürgen Klopp has told Takumi Minamino to be the player that impressed so much for Salzburg during their two Champions League encounters with Liverpool earlier this season.
Minamino arrived at Melwood on Tuesday for his first day as a member of Jürgen Klopp's Reds, having agreed a switch from the Austrian champions last month.
Watch: Takumi Minamino trains with LFC teammates at Melwood
The Japan international is ineligible to feature in Thursday's Premier League fixture with Sheffield United, but Klopp stated it won't be long before supporters see the 24-year-old in action.
Read on below as the boss discussed Minamino's arrival on Merseyside at a press conference on Wednesday...
On how Minamino is settling in and how long before he's considered for selection...
This time we are not allowed. From the next moment on, we are thinking about bringing him into the squad. Yesterday he was here, we had a very light session and he enjoyed it a lot. The boys were incredible with him – Sadio, Naby with the Salzburg genetic or DNA whatever. It was really nice. If I would like to be a new player, I would like to be a new player in that group because they welcome you with open arms. That's really nice, I think he felt that. I'm not sure if [it] was a surprise, but he felt it. Communication-wise is really good, so his English is absolutely OK but the German is really good – it doesn't help the team much but me! We can talk, we didn’t do it yesterday too much, just a little bit because it's now important that he really settles. We signed the player he was at Salzburg, so that means he doesn't have to change in the moment, just be who you are. Then we start working on that, that’s how it is. I'm looking forward to it.
On whether there's anything he can do to fast-track the No.18's integration to the squad...
Not really. That was the little talk we had, that I told him that we really signed Takumi Minamino from Salzburg, the guy who played against us like crazy, who was self-confident like crazy. Just be that and everything else is fine. Then we will see how we will fit him in. In this period of the season especially, there will not be like 15 weeks until we use him, that's how it is. Is it then the finished article in March? I don't know. We start learning about each other from now on and that's exactly what we want to do. He will have all the time he needs. But how much time he needs, I have no idea.
On allowing Minamino an adaption period...
It would be crazy if you wouldn’t do that. That would be really nice if you could give him some time. We have a really good football team already and he's an offensive player. Offensively, we have some of the best players probably in the world. But we didn't bring him in to accept like, 'I’m number five, six, seven, eight or only four'. He can play different positions. I think after the last press conference when we spoke about him, somebody made a headline that he's really good but I have no clue where I can bring him. What I wanted to say was, I have many options with him and that's clear. I don't know where he will start now, when he starts because I don’t have to know it in this moment. We can really work on that and we want use his natural skills. That's why I said we will not start filling him now with information immediately and, 'You have to do this and that'. We want him to be as natural as possible. We will see how long. But it would be nice if you and all the other people could give him time.
On Minamino's personality...
Super kid, super boy. We knew that before. He was the player of my former player, who is now manager of Gladbach. Whatever I wanted to know I could ask Marco Rose and he was very positive about him, so there was no doubt. That’s all good. We can start now. He will learn English really quick, I'm sure, and he speaks already a little bit. Yesterday he was in the rondo with all the English guys and there's a lot of talk. I'm not sure he got a word because when Milner, Robertson and Trent Alexander speak to each other, I'm not sure if any English guy would understand that! But he adapts 100 per cent, everything is fine. How I said, yesterday was the start, now he's here and now he can work.