Jamie Carragher says Liverpool should have let ‘cult hero’ leave as one of two who are ‘never going to play’ after omissions from 25-man squad
Jamie Carragher has suggested Liverpool should have let ‘cult hero’ Wataru Endo leave the club because he is ‘never going to play’ under Andoni Iraola.
Iraola has a handful of new players at his disposal this season following the arrivals of the likes of Jeremy Jacquet, Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola, while stars such as Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate have all departed.
This week, the Spaniard has had to select a 25-man squad for the league phase of the Champions League, meaning some unlucky names would be omitted.
Among them were Endo, who is yet to play under Iraola, and Federico Chiesa, who has had a hard time of things since joining the Reds in 2024.
Giovanni Leoni, Hugo Ekitike and Conor Bradley, meanwhile, are all battling long-term injuries, yet were still included.
And former Liverpool defender Carragher has called for justice. Speaking on The Overlap, he said: ‘Liverpool have got two players in the squad who are never going to play. And there are all these quotas, you can only have 17 (non-homegrown) players and all that.
Jamie Carragher (pictured) has suggested Liverpool should have sold ‘cult hero’ Wataru Endo
Endo (right) has been left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad and found game time hard to come by
‘They have got Chiesa and Endo. It’s like they are never going to kick a ball.’
He added: ‘Endo should have been moved on. He has done great, a bit of a cult hero.’
The Japan international played 12 times last season as he battled injuries and selection, with game time in the Premier League especially hard to come by.
He joined the club in the summer of 2023 under Jurgen Klopp, but has never really settled in the team.
Chiesa, meanwhile, struggled for minutes under Arne Slot and it appears it will be the same story under Iraola. He made just five starts last season, while he has missed the opening of this campaign through injury. Endo was an unused substitute in the draws with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.
The duo may now have to wait for cup games to feature for the Reds, though can still feature in the league too.
