Liverpool FC may have to do without Wataru Endo for months. The former VfB captain was stretchered off the pitch during the away game in Sunderland.
Liverpool FC has had to use a variety of players at right-back this season. Out of necessity, head coach Arne Slot chose Wataru Endo for last Wednesday’s away game at Sunderland.
However, Endo was unable to finish the game against the Black Cats, which the Reds narrowly won 1-0. After an hour, with center back Virgil van Dijk having just scored the golden goal of the evening, Endo got caught up in a defensive action and was left writhing in pain on the turf.
It quickly became clear that the Japanese player would not be able to continue. The former captain of VfB Stuttgart was carried off the pitch in tears on a stretcher. Joe Gomez, who had only returned to training two days earlier after an injury break, had to step in at short notice.
The situation for Liverpool’s right-back seems to be jinxed. But Endo has been hit even harder. What was initially only speculation was confirmed by his coach on Friday. At the pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday evening’s FA Cup home game against league rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, Slot reported a serious “foot injury.”
First start ends in the worst possible way
The extent of the injury cannot yet be precisely determined. However, Slot explained: “We still have to carry out some tests, but it is clear and obvious that he will be out for quite a long time.”
The 72-time Japanese international moved from Stuttgart to Liverpool in the summer of 2023, but never took on the important role he had hoped for at Anfield Road. This season, the tireless midfielder is once again only a substitute for the Reds, as evidenced by his eleven appearances on the bench in the Premier League over 90 minutes.
Seven of his eight league appearances have been as a substitute. His only start ended as badly as could be imagined. Even his participation in the World Cup this summer, where Japan will face the Netherlands, Tunisia, and one as yet unknown opponent in the group stage, is now in doubt. Endo has frequently captained Japan in recent years.
