Wednesday 1 January 2020 16:11, UK
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has urged patience with new signing Takumi Minamino after he was officially unveiled at the club.
an The 24-year-old has joined the Premier League leaders from Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg after his £7.25m release clause was triggered last month.
With former Salzburg players Sadio Mane and Naby Keita already at Anfield, Klopp is hoping the player will quickly feel comfortable enough to be considered for a starting place against Everton in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Before then it is a watching brief for the Japan international as Liverpool host Sheffield United on Thursday evening, but nevertheless Klopp is putting no pressure on Minamino to perform straightaway.
"It's important he settles and that we've signed the player he was at Salzburg, so at the moment he just has to be who he is," Klopp said.
"I told him we signed Minamino from Salzburg - the guy who played like crazy against us - be like that and we will see how it develops.
"But certainly at this part of the season we will use him now and not in 15 weeks' time.
"Will he be the finished article in March though? I don't know. We'll start learning about each other from now, work on his natural skills and give him all the time he needs.
"At the moment we have a really good football team and we have some of the best offensive players in the world.
"We didn't bring him in to accept he is fifth, sixth-choice but he can play many positions which means options. It would be nice if everyone gives him a bit of time though."
Minamino impressed against the Reds in October with a goal and an assist as the Austrian side suffered a 4-3 defeat at Anfield and caught the eye once more in the return fixture, when Liverpool won 2-0 earlier in December.
His £7.25m contract release clause attracted interest from Premier League clubs but the Reds won the race and the player's switch to Liverpool was ratified when the transfer window opened on January 1.
But what will the Japan international bring to Anfield? Sky Sports News takes an in-depth look at the player.
Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.
Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day's news with The Transfer Show.
Meanwhile, the Transfer Talk podcast will also be back at the turn of the year with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.
And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don't miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.
