The Japanese international who is often compared to James Milner due to his ability to come into a game and lock it down has revealed where his futures lie ahead of the new season. Speaking at a talk event exclusively for members of “Monthly Wataru Endo” called “Monthly Wataru Endo: The REAL PICK UP MATCH” he was asked if he would be leaving Merseyside.
“I told you I’m staying!” he said during a live Q&A event in his hometown of Kanagawa, as quoted by Soccer Digest. “If the club tells me to leave…
“No, I’m staying. I have a contract. It’s up to me to make the final decision. Basically, I’m staying, for now.
“Looking back, I think it was a good season. I didn't have many opportunities to play at Liverpool.
“But in the end, we won the Premier League and qualified for the World Cup with the national team, so it was a great season that will lead to next season.”
The 32-year-old made 32 appearances in all competitions for the Reds as manager Arne Slot claimed the league title in his first season since taking over from former manager Jurgen Klopp. Endo also admitted that he is determined to feature more prominently next season after being used in the Milner role, coming off the bench rather than starting each game.
“There is the manager's style, and there are preferences,” he conceded. “In the end, you should think first about what you can do in the environment you are given. “In the professional world, you have to show the meaning of your existence. I don't think people would call me a closer if I had entered the game with 10 or 15 minutes left and conceded runs every time.
“This position of closer is a position I ultimately won in the position I was in. I was able to be called a closer as a result of fulfilling the role I was given, so that means I found the meaning of my existence this season.
"If we can show that Endo can play as a closer and even if he's in the starting line-up, there won't be any problem from next season onwards.
“I think there's a high possibility that I'll play in various positions in the future, so I think it'll be fine if we can carry that over to the next stage."