Liverpool star Takumi Minamino has failed to impress during his loan at Southampton, but Jurgen Klopp believes he still has a future at Anfield.
Minamino joined just over a year ago, becoming the Reds' only signing in the January transfer window of 2020.
But he's largely been disappointing during his time at the club and failed to crack into the front three ahead of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
Following the arrival of Diogo Jota last summer, Liverpool allowed Minamino to leave for Southampton on loan.
Since then, he's managed just seven games for his new side, scoring twice in that time.
He didn't feature against his parent club on Saturday as Southampton lost 2-0 at Anfield.
But Klopp wrote in his programme notes that there's still a bright future for Minamino at Liverpool.
He wrote: "He’s done really well there and this is no surprise.
"When we allowed him to go in January it was a tough call to make because he is an important player for us and will be again in the future, no doubt.
"But opportunities at that time had been short with us and therefore going to play somewhere else made sense for him and us.
"Southampton was perfect because of how Ralph plays and what he demands from his players."
Speaking last month, Minamino expressed he still believes he can compete for a place at Liverpool.
He said: "I am focusing on the present and what I can do now.
"I’m a footballer so I don’t know where I’ll be playing in six months’ time, but I want to be playing at a high level."
