If Leeds United sign Takumi Minamino before the end of the transfer window, he will almost definitely be guaranteed more game time than he has been getting at Liverpool.
He has made just 27 appearances for the Reds in the Premier League in over two years on Merseyside, a statistic made even worse by the fact that he started just five of them.
Liverpool rejected the Whites’ approach for the attacking midfielder on Thursday as they didn’t want to lose an important squad player.
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His importance is such that he has been trusted with just 86 minutes of Premier League action this season across eight matches.
Even in the absence of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane who are both at the African Cup of Nations, Minamino is yet to start a league game this season.
Given that he scored against Arsenal and Brentford, it means he is averaging a goal every 43 minutes which is bettered only by his team mate Divock Origi who has scored twice in just 38 minutes.
They are both players who were deemed as too important to lose by Jurgen Klopp but, since Liverpool look set to sign Luis Diaz from Porto, the duo have been put up for sale.
It is important to remember that Minamino has plenty of Champions League experience but, at present, that isn’t a particular worry for Leeds.
He has probably been Liverpool’s stand-out performer in their run to the Carabao Cup final but, yet again, he was not selected in the starting XI for the semi-final second leg against Arsenal after a below-par performance in the first leg.
It is possibly unsurprising that Minamino is unable to have an impact on big games like that when his involvement in the team is so few and far between. However, if Leeds are to sign anyone before the window closes, they need to be ready to hit the ground running.
Whites supporters will have been largely unable to see the Japan international up close as he has only played 32 minutes’ worth of football against Marcelo Bielsa’s side and that came in Southampton’s 3-0 defeat at Elland Road last season.
He spent the second half of last term on loan with the Saints but, despite a strong start, he struggled to impress and they were not interested in making the deal permanent.
He scored twice in his opening three matches but then didn’t add to his tally in the seven appearances that followed.
The lack of game time received under Klopp and then Ralph Hassenhuttl does beg the question as to whether he is a player who is suited to the rigours of Premier League football.
There is certainly a top player in there though and his experience in Salzburg and Liverpool would make him a perfect fit for Marcelo Bielsa’s relentless pressing style.
Both of those clubs operate under a high intensity regime built on pressing and counter pressing which is, of course, similar to what has been seen at Leeds in the last few years.
The only players in the Premier League that have applied more pressure to opposing teams than Minamino this term are players that have featured for less than 45 minutes, according to FBref.com.
Although it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, he is averaging 37 pressures per 90 minutes. For comparison, the player with the most for Leeds that has played more than one half of league football this season is Kalvin Phillips who averages 27.9 per 90 minutes.
Incidentally, the England midfielder has the most in the league of any player to have played 700 minutes or more.
Minamino’s ability to adapt to a high-pressing system will have particularly impressed Bielsa and will probably be the main reason the Leeds boss is interested in bringing him to the club.
If he is signed, the main thing the fans at Elland Road will ask for is hard work and that is something the 27-year-old will certainly bring.
Although, the jury is out on whether or not he is capable of spearheading a push away from the relegation zone between now and the end of the season.
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