[ad_1]
The former Leicester forward, who proved the success of the Premier League title in England, is encouraged by the progress a compatriot has made.
Takumi Minamino has been challenged by his Japanese international teammate Shinji Okazaki to try to overcome the achievements of Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda at a top-tier European club, with the 25-year-old offering the best of stages in Liverpool.
The Reds moved to get the highly rated forward during the January transfer window, with a £ 7.25 million ($ 10 million) release clause activated on his contract at Red Bull Salzburg.
The fierce competition for places in Anfield means that Minamino will find it difficult to secure regular playing time while still adjusting to the demands of life in England and the Premier League.
The hope of those in Merseyside, and back home in Asia, is that a player with a lot of potential to unlock can still flourish in a new environment and prove he deserves that opportunity.
Some illustrious compatriots have experienced mixed fortunes when presented with similar opportunities in the past, with Kagawa failing at Manchester United, but Minamino is expected to face his challenges head-on.
Okazaki, who savored the glory of the Premier League title for a season in Leicester, told the Afternoon standard de Minamino: “I see some of the games on television and I don’t see negative things.
“Play well with and without the ball. He is gaining confidence after he changed teams.
“I know that the Premier League is the hardest league in the world. Every season they spend a lot of money and Liverpool was the last winner of the Champions League and already had quality in his team.
“But he can improve and I think that is important for him and for Japanese football.”
“At first, he had quality, but now he knows how to fight, he is faster: he changed his style of play in the last two years.”
He added: “The Japanese FA and fans want to see their players on good teams.
Article continues below
“Some time ago, we had Shinji Kagawa in Manchester, Yuto Nagatomo with Inter, Keisuke Honda in Milan, but they couldn’t show the best level.”
“Now, we see that it is time for Japanese football to go to the next step. We need players in Europe playing every week on the bigger teams. “
Minamino joined Liverpool saying he had “nothing to lose” in an attempt to prove himself against Jurgen Klopp and that he intended to embrace the competition provided by people like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at Anfield.
