Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has agreed with his head coach, Arne Slot, after being asked for his verdict on midfielder Wataru Endo, whose role has been very limited so far this season.

Endo, 32, has played just 143 minutes in the Premier League.

Endo has not played the amount of minutes that he would have liked — but only because others, including Ryan Gravenberch, have been so good.

"I appreciate him a lot as a football player but also as a human being because no matter how many minutes the team needs him [for], he always shows up," Slot said in February, also having been impressed by the Reds' number three's dedication.

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"The reason why he always shows up — and that is what makes him special, and I’ve said it a few times before — is players, and I have worked with many that were in a similar situation like him, don’t always find the energy to train well the day after a game when they didn’t have playing time or two days after a game.

"But it doesn’t matter which day of the week it is or if he has played, he always gives his best in every training session and, as a result of that, every time the team needs him, he shows up.

"I don’t get frustrated or anything like that; I always try to get ready to help the team," Endo said in January

"Of course I want to play every game but we need everyone in the squad.

"The players who don’t play constantly have played very well, so that is the most important thing for the team to achieve something

We need everybody so we need to get ready for every game that’s coming."

Liverpool.com says: Endo would be well within his rights to want to move somewhere else this summer in search of more minutes, but if he is happy to play a similar role next season, there is no reason to shift him on