Takumi Minamino proved to be one of the surprises of the January transfer deadline day when Liverpool announced that they had sent the Japanese midfielder on loan to Southampton.
Minamino has struggled to make an impact on Jurgen Klopp’s side since his £7.25million move from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020.
The 26-year-old has made 17 appearances for Liverpool this season across all competitions, but just four of those have been starts in the Premier League or Champions League.
Minamino has frequently been used as a late substitute by Klopp, but has now moved to Southampton in order to get more game time.
The attacking midfielder can expect to feature in one of the No 10 roles in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s 4-2-2-2 formation, with the Saints struggling with injuries.
Hasenhuttl is currently without nine first-team players, meaning Minamino can expect to go straight into the match day squad for upcoming fixtures.
It is understood Saints will pay a loan fee of around £500,000 for the season. They wanted an option to buy at the end of the campaign, but the Reds are believed to have rejected that proposal.
Many Liverpool fans were pleased with the deal and pointed out that the style Minamino was used to at previous club Salzburg should stand him in good stead for Hasenhuttl’s demanding tactics, and help him return to Anfield with more confidence.
One supporter tweeted: "This would be class - Hasenhuttl has so many similar principles to Klopp so ideal to see if Minamino can cut it in the PL."
A few, however, did question the move and wondered why the Reds allowed Minamino to leave over Divock Origi.
It was a productive deadline day for Liverpool, with two new defenders arriving to ease the centre-back injury crisis.
Ben Davies has joined the Reds from Preston on a permanent deal, while Ozan Kabak has joined on loan with an £18m option to sign in the summer.
They will bolster Klopp’s options in central defence following the injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Fabinho and perhaps allow Jordan Henderson to move back into midfield.
