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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Tom Cavilla

Takumi Minamino opens up on limited Liverpool game time and makes 'scary' admission

Takumi Minamino has admitted he is determined to make the most of any opportunities handed his way at Liverpool.

The Japan international has featured 21 times in all competitions for the Reds this season, with his standout displays arriving in the Carabao Cup.

Minamino has scored four goals and registered one assist on the Reds' way to Wembley, finding the back of the net in the third round, fourth round and quarter-final stage,

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Premier League starts have proved more difficult to come by, however, and has seen the 27-year-old limited to 10 substitute appearances in the top-flight this term.

Minamino recently reached a half-century of appearances for Liverpool and is eager to 'help the team more'.

"This job as a football player is very hard sometimes because not every player can always play 90 minutes, especially me in this situation," he conceded.

"I want to play for Liverpool. But I've played over 50 times for Liverpool and that's a good thing. I'm very happy about that.

"I want more and I want to help the team more. It's not easy but I just want to try to do everything for that.

"All the players are very kind. When I came here, I couldn't speak any English. Nothing. But I could speak a little bit of German and those players who spoke German – Joel, Sadio, Naby, Shaqiri – I asked them and they could answer in German. It was very helpful, especially in the first season."

Arriving at Anfield in January 2020 from Red Bull Salzburg, Minamino very quickly had additional challenges to overcome aside from learning a new language and adjusting to his surroundings.

The coronavirus pandemic led to the football season being shutdown in all four corners of the world, leaving the public stuck indoors and unsure what was around the corner.

"It was a scary, strange and difficult time for me," he told liverpoolfc.com.

"This club, everything was organised well when we went back to training. The club organised everything perfectly and for me it was very easy to get back into football and join the team again.

"This moment was very difficult but now it's fine."

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