I was blown away by what I heard at Liverpool - Jurgen Klopp made my dream come true

Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo has revealed that he idolised Reds icon Javier Mascherano. The Japan captain has claimed that playing in the Premier League and for Liverpool is a dream come true after idolising the Argentine.

Mascherano was brought to Anfield by Rafael Benitez and became a key cog in the Reds midfield alongside captain Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Momo Sissoko. He went on to make 139 appearances for Liverpool, scoring just two goals, before he was prized away from Merseyside by Spanish juggernauts Barcelona.

Endo has made it no secret that moving to the Premier League was a dream come true after he made the surprise move from German side VfB Stuttgart aged 30, last summer.

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The Japanese international was introduced during a frustrating summer with Jurgen Klopp looking to reinforce his midfield options but suffered double disappointment when Liverpool failed in their pursuit of both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, losing out to Chelsea.

Speaking to Premier League series, Uncut, Endo explained who his Premier League icon was, he said: "[Javier] Mascherano, although he played as a six and played as a defender, he's not tall and can play both.

"I was a defender when I was a boy. I was not a tall centre-back so yeah I watched him a lot. It's like a dream come true (to play for the team of the player you idolised).

"I watched Premier League games a lot and always dreamt that I wanted to be a Premier League."

The 31-year-old also explained his reaction to playing at Anfield. He revealed: "It's crazy, it's the best stadium in the world. When I heard it for the first time, it was unbelievable."