Jurgen Klopp hailed Takumi Minamino’s debut for Liverpool in their 1-0 FA Cup Merseyside derby victory over Everton as “outstanding”.
The Reds boss made nine alterations, handing two starting debuts to Nat Phillips – brought back from a loan spell at Stuttgart to play in the game – and new signing Minamino, and a third to 19-year-old Yasser Larouci.
Another academy graduate, 18-year-old Toxteth-born Curtis Jones, scored a brilliant 71st-minute winner, but the whole team – with a value of just £43.9million at kick-off – showed why Klopp put faith in them to give his Liverpool first-team stars a day off.
On Minamino, who arrived earlier this month in a £7.25m move from RB Salzburg, Klopp said: “Super, outstanding. Exactly the player we wanted, exactly the player we wished for.
“Your first game in a team you don’t know, if it’s a settled team it’s already difficult – this team we threw more or less on the pitch with two sessions together.
“And then showing this kind of game understanding, football skills are exceptional, attitude is outstanding, led the chasing pack so often in different situations, which I loved.
Click Here: azzaro parfum
“He didn’t look tired, but because we don’t know him that long we just wanted to save him a little bit, so took him off. It was a nice add-on to have Oxlade back, he looked pretty lively when he came on.
“He trained only one day, two days now, and that’s why he didn’t start. Super.”