Jurgen Klopp insists he has not written off Takumi Minamino's Liverpool career.

The Japanese international failed to nail down a spot in Klopp's team after signing from RB Salzburg in January 2020.

Minamino sealed a deadline day loan move to Southampton, but Klopp admits he did not give the 26-year-old enough opportunities at Anfield.

"We really thought about it," he said. "Takumi is an incredibly good player. We didn't give him enough chances, that is the truth.

"Sometimes for different reasons. Sometimes it was just the size when defending set-pieces, because we were not tall enough. These kind of things make the difference why one player plays and another does not.

"There were not a lot of clubs where I thought it made a lot of sense but Southampton is one. He is there for 17 games. If he stays fit I think there is a good chance for him to play all 17 games which helps everybody.

"The only thing he was lacking was a couple of games in a row. That is difficult here. I would have loved to keep him just to have the option, but in the end Takumi is a long-term project, he always was. We see a lot of potential in him and so it absolutely makes sense he gets out and hopefully plays 17 games, then comes back in a different mindset and confidence level. I hope it is a win-win situation."