Wataru Endo’s availability is in the spotlight.

Liverpool will host Bournemouth in the second round of the 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) at Anfield in Liverpool, England, on April 19 at 11 p.m. ET. In the first leg, Liverpool drew 1-1 with Chelsea. Bournemouth drew 1-1 with West Ham United.

Liverpool started with Alisson, Robertson, Konate, Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, McAllister, Soboslaj, Gakpo, Dias, Salah, and Zotta. Bournemouth started with Neto, Aarons, Jabarni, Senescu, Kerkec, Rothwell, Phillips, Christie, Semayo, Solanke, and Anthony.

Endo was named to the bench. With Henderson and Fabinho both traveling to Saudi Arabia, there is a void in the Liverpool midfield. With Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Keita having previously departed, the Reds were also short on numbers. Soboslav from Leipzig and McAllister from Brighton were not enough.

Kaysedo and Rabia. Kaysedo was a mainstay in the Brighton midfield and Rabia was a midfield resource who showed promise at relegated Southampton. They both went to Chelsea. After swallowing their disappointment, Liverpool succeeded in signing Endo.

Japan international Endo has been with Stuttgart since 2019. Having played for Shonan Belmare, Urawa and Red Diamonds, Endo began his European career with Sint-Truiden in Belgium in 2018 before joining Stuttgart on loan in 2019. He impressed enough to earn a permanent transfer and has been playing ever since.

He has the absolute support of the Stuttgart fans. He”s a Stuttgart legend. When Endo first came to Stuttgart, they were in the German second division. Later on, Stuttgart won promotion to the German Bundesliga, and Endo played a big role in that. Endo is a defensive midfielder, but he is also an attacking midfielder, and his build-up play and control of the midfield have made him an indispensable player for Stuttgart. He has been captain since 2021. After serving as captain for two seasons, Endo was set to captain Stuttgart for the upcoming 2023-24 season.

He came to Anfield after being offered by Liverpool. “I’m very happy right now and I’m very excited to join such a big club, Liverpool. It’s amazing. This is my 안전놀이터 dream. It was always a dream to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world in the EPL. It’s a dream come true. Playing at Anfield is the first time in my career. I want to play at Anfield in front of the Liverpool fans. I play in a number six role and I’m a more defensive player. I can help this club defensively. I think that’s my job. I’m very happy to join Liverpool,” he said on his transfer.

He was immediately named to the substitutes’ bench. Similar to the Chelsea game, Jürgen Klopp dropped each of his midfielders. McAllister will play as a third striker, while Soboslav will focus more on attack. McAllister and Soboslaj were excellent against Chelsea, but Gakpo in midfield was disappointing. Endo could come on in the second half depending on the situation. If Endo comes on, we could see a Japanese player at Anfield again after Minamino’s departure to AS Monaco.