Wataru Endo, who missed the opportunity to bid his former Stuttgart teammates farewell after his hasty relocation, made a surprise trip back to Germany.
Endo quickly went from Stuttgart to Merseyside after Liverpool attempted to entice the defensive midfielder with a £16.2 million offer last month.
The 30-year-old hardly had time to collect himself and realize that he is now a member of the Liverpool team because his debut came just one day after his signing was made public.
He moved quickly, so he did not have time to properly bid his Stuttgart teammates farewell before the international break, which he made sure to do.
After two games for Japan, Endo startled his former teammates by showing up at the German club’s training facility on Wednesday.
Players and staff poured into the building from the outdoor pitches, and when they saw Endo there were plenty of hugs and joyful grins.
Endo told Stuttgart’s official website, “This club is my family, so I feel extremely delighted to see my team-mates and staff. I didn’t have time to say goodbye.
“I felt like the Stuttgart supporters sent me a message through the stadium photographs during the first game, and I’m really appreciative.
Though I’ll miss the boys, I’ll try my best because this is a new chapter for me.
Endo joined Stuttgart in 2019 and played 133 times for the German team before joining them on loan and later becoming their captain.
The new No. 3 at Liverpool, meanwhile, has played a total of 88 minutes, the majority of which have been with just 10 men on the field.
Endo described his time at Anfield as being “quite busy.” It was difficult because I played with 10 men, but I had a nice few weeks. I participated in three games and earned three victories.
Jurgen Klopp has acknowledged on numerous occasions that this is not the simplest method to resolve a dispute.
Endo’s busy start to life at Liverpool will continue with a stretch of seven games in 22 days, although he will
