Jurgen Klopp praises Takumi Minamino as long-term Liverpool plan still on track

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp maintains his long-term Liverpool plan for Takumi Minamino remains on track, after the Japanese forward scored his seventh goal of the season last weekend.

Minamino hasn't always been an automatic starter for the Reds, but has taken advantage of extra game time with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations to make seven appearances in January and February.

Klopp signed Minamino from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020, and described the player as as a "long-term" project when letting the 27-year-old spend time on loan at Southampton last season to continue his development.

The manager was quizzed about the player again ahead of a league trip to Burnley, and his comments suggest everything remains on track.

"Takumi is a long-term project, always was," Klopp reiterated when sending the forward to St Mary's last year.

"We see a lot of potential in Takumi and it makes absolute sense for him to play maybe 17 games in the Premier League, and then he comes back in a different mindset, confidence level all these kind of things so I hope it is a win-win situation."

In the end, Minamino only made 10 appearances for the Saints, scoring twice, but Klopp's stance seemingly remains the same.

"I prefer to talk about a wider squad than a tiny squad," Klopp said when discussing Liverpool's depth after a victory over Leicester in which Minamino was given a late run-out from the bench.

"It's a situation we never had before. Now we have it available and they have played together for a while now.

"We have a lot of top developments, like Takumi Minamino - who is getting better every game."

The January arrival of Luis Diaz has further increased the competition for places at Anfield,