Arne Slot has paid tribute to Wataru Endo after turning to the Japan international as an emergency centre-back in recent weeks. The 31-year-old has ultimately been a bit-part player since the Dutchman took over at Liverpool, starting only four times in the domestic cup competitions.

But he has impressed in recent weeks at centre-back, in the absence of first Ibrahima Konate and then Joe Gomez to injury.

Endo was again utilised at centre-back in Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup. And while Slot admitted he spoke to fellow midfielder Harvey Elliott about why he was not being played in his favoured position, he felt no need to talk to Endo about his role having been left impressed by his mentality.

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“I asked Harvey to come into the room before we played that game because I know Harvey wants to get his chance at the No.10 position,” he admitted. “But because of the injuries - not injuries but players we didn't have available - I had to play him from the right. He did that really well.

“For Wata it is the same, but I didn’t even have to invite him in. Harvey is also a very good person but I know what kind of person Wata is. He is [always like] wherever you play me I will do my best - whenever you play me.

“If it's five minutes before the end, he comes in and gives everything he has. That might be normal for a lot of fans to hear but for as long as I have been in football, I have seen players that had to come in five minutes from the end also doing different things and showing different attitudes to what Wata shows.

“He is an important part of our team. Every time we need him, in the midfield or even now as a centre-back because I didn't want to bring Ibou in two days after he played against United and then after 30 minutes [against Tottenham Hotspur], we already had to make a substitution.

“He did really well, Wata, because the moment I took him out of our last line, we conceded!”

Meanwhile, Slot also shared his delight at Diogo Jota’s return to fitness in recent weeks as the Portuguese came through the full 90 minutes unscathed against Accrington.

The forward scored his seventh goal of the season against the League Two outfit - and his third since his return from injury. And opening up on how Liverpool have managed Jota carefully - given his injury record - Slot shared how important it was to have the Portuguese back in his ranks and fully fit.

“All of them have 80 percent the same programme and the last 20 percent is for every player individual,” he explained. “They do individual work in the gym as well.

“So it is not only for him we have a special programme, we try to have a special programme for all the squad players we have. He, like all the others, is someone I like to have in my squad and like to have him available.

“When it comes to building up his match fitness, it went from 30 minutes to 30 minutes to a bit more, a bit more and now he is ready to play 90. That is a good thing because we have to play many games in the upcoming weeks.

“It is nice to have him available and hopefully it stays like this for the last four or five months.

“[He is a] hard worker, what you see on the pitch as well. He tries to become a better player every single day. He is a player that is, in my opinion, good in both parts. So he is a threat when he is attacking, but for a number nine, like Chris Wood, he works really hard as well.

“That is modern football. You need to have 11 players that work really hard. When I played, you could be a no 10 like me who didn’t do that much without the ball. But in modern football that is impossible if you want to compete.

“Jota is an experienced player, that is also one of the reasons he wore the armband. I think he has served the club longest from the players in the team at that moment. Let’s hope he stays fit.”