Before his extended absence for the Asian Cup, Wataru Endo will have his final game for Liverpool against Newcastle at Anfield on New Year’s Day. Endo has become a crucial player for Liverpool during Alexis Mac Allister’s injury absence, impressing Jurgen Klopp with his performances. Klopp expressed disappointment at Endo’s departure after the team’s 2-0 victory over Burnley. Liverpool will also lose Mohamed Salah to the Africa Cup of Nations after their match against Newcastle. While Salah’s absence depends on Egypt’s success, Endo and Japan head to the Asian Cup as favorites.
Arsenal (A) – FA Cup third round – January 7
Fulham (H) – Carabao Cup semi-final – January 10
Bournemouth (A) – Premier League – January 21
Fulham (A) – Carabao Cup semi-final – January 24
But there is a strong chance he is away for longer than the group stage, with progress to the following stages meaning a delayed return:
Last 16: Jan 28-31 – missing Chelsea (H, Jan 31)
Quarter-finals: Feb 2-3 – missing Chelsea (H, Jan 31), Arsenal (A, Feb 4)
Semi-finals: Feb 6-7 – missing Chelsea (H, Jan 31), Arsenal (A, Feb 4)
Final: Feb 10 – missing Chelsea (H, Jan 31), Arsenal (A, Feb 4), Burnley (H, Feb 10)
If Liverpool beat Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup, Endo would also miss the fourth-round tie, which will land on January 27/28.
Endo could therefore miss a total of eight games for Liverpool, with his latest return likely to be away to Brentford in the Premier League on February 17.
DOHA, QATAR – Sunday, November 27, 2022: Japan’s Wataru Endo during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Japan and Costa Rica at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. Costa Rica won 1-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
That would mean over a month-and-a-half out of action for his club, inclusive of pre-tournament training with Japan and the Asian Cup running from January 12 to February 10.
Mac Allister should be back fit in the coming days, with hope that he could even be involved against Newcastle, but Klopp will almost certainly need to rotate his No. 6 options.
Losing Endo will have a significant impact, as the team greatly benefited from the £16 million acquisition from Stuttgart.
