Takumi Minamino reveals former Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa encouraged him to join Liverpool as Japan international admits he turned down other offers to make Anfield move
- Takumi Minamino says Shinji Kagawa advised him to join Liverpool in January
- The ex-Manchester United player encouraged him to link up with Jurgen Klopp
- Minamino said he had other offers but opted to make the move to Anfield
- The midfielder said he wanted to follow the advice of his Japan team-mate
Takumi Minamino has revealed former Manchester United player Shinji Kagawa encouraged him to sign for Liverpool.
The midfielder admitted he had other offers before he made the switch to Anfield and sought the advice of his Japan team-mate Kagawa to help him make the important decision.
Liverpool eventually won the race for the 25-year-old with the Reds paying Red Bull Salzburg a £7.25million fee.
Takumi Minamino has revealed Shinji Kagawa encouraged him to join Liverpool in January
The midfielder rejected other offers on the advice of the former Manchester United player
Minamino said that Kagawa, who played under Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, encouraged him to make Merseyside his destination.
Speaking to Super Soccer about his conversations with Kagawa, Minamino said: ‘Yes, I said “What do you think?” when I was still thinking, I was still thinking because there were other options so…which club I can’t tell you!
‘Kagawa said: “He (Klopp) is a manager who has a good understanding of players”.
‘I wanted to listen to the words of Kagawa, who was together with Klopp.’
Minamino listened to Kagawa because he worked with Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund
Kagawa enjoyed two spells working under Klopp in two stints at Borussia Dortmund
The midfielder made 14 appearances after completing his transfer in January but is yet to make his mark on the Premier League.
‘We won the league and I am so happy I could experience that. But I wanted to have goals or assists.
‘I pay a lot of attention to them, so it’s regrettable that I couldn’t achieve it.’
But Minamino is hoping he can make a positive start to the 2020-2021 season and explained how Klopp keeps the players who are not playing regularly motivated to do well.
The midfielder said Klopp keeps players who are not playing regularly motivated to train well
‘In our team, players who can’t play in a match never speak ill of him,’ he said.
‘He watches the training of substitute players from beginning to end.
‘To players who are in good condition he says “you have a chance in the next match”.
‘He is fair minded. We could feel it, so we think we have a chance if we work hard. That’s an amazing thing.’
