Jurgen Klopp could not get his head around Endo Wataru's performance in the Carabao Cup final. Something just did not add up. The numbers made no sense. Despite Endo taking a heavy knock to his left ankle that resulted in him leaving Wembley on crutches, no Liverpool player won more tackles, duels or possession in the 1-0 win over Chelsea.
Endo was simply relentless. He never stopped running until the final whistle blew. Even then, he was still standing, while Moises Caicedo sat down, disconsolate, consigned to watching Klopp & Co celebrate a remarkable win with an injury-ravaged squad.
Klopp had claimed that Liverpool had been lucky to miss out on signing the Ecuadorian during the summer - and Wembley proved him right. Endo had outbattled and outclassed a player £100 million ($128m) more expensive than the Japanese - and nine years younger.
"He might be 30 or 31 on his passport but he's not!" Klopp quipped. "He's a machine!" One that Klopp claimed could easily end up signing another "long-term" contract with the club in "three or four years". That's how much the German feels Endo has left in the tank.
In that context, the contrast between one of the revelations of Liverpool's season and his next direct rival could not be starker. While Endo is enjoying the start of something special at Anfield, Casemiro appears to be approaching the end of his time at Old Trafford. The pair have similar profiles but things could not be going more differently for them ahead of Sunday's FA Cup clash between Liverpool and Manchester United.
