Paul Pogba says player Liverpool sold for £12.9m is the best professional he has ever seen

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Liverpool let a number of excellent players leave towards the end of the Jurgen Klopp era.

Talents such as Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabinho were sold – as was Sadio Mane – amid a period where Liverpool found themselves back amongst the elite, and therefore had to be more ruthless when it came to squad selections.

Takumi Minamino also left Liverpool for Monaco around this time – a player less spoken about in comparison to the likes of Mane and others – although Paul Pogba has now piled significant praise on the underrated Japan international.

Paul Pogba hails Takumi Minamino as somebody “I need to learn from”

Liverpool decided to sell the man born in Izumisano to Monaco in a £12.9m deal back in June 2022.

Minamino was often utilised by Klopp as a weapon in domestic cup competitions, impressively scoring four goals in five Carabao Cup appearances as Liverpool won the trophy in the 2021/22 campaign, also netting three goals in four FA Cup outings that term.

However, the 30-year-old has now become a key man at Monaco, where even a superstar like Pogba views him as an inspiration.

Sportiva quote the France international as saying: “Takumi is always the first one to arrive at training and the last to leave. I’ve never seen a player so disciplined yet enjoying football so much at the same time. That’s something I need to learn from him.

“When you watch him play, you can clearly see he’s always thinking on the pitch. He’s incredibly smart, and his movement shows just how deeply he understands the game.”

Pogba – who is yet to make his debut for Monaco as he rebuilds his fitness – has played with some of the greatest footballers of this generation, such as Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Pirlo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney.

For the Frenchman to put Minamino – who often impressed Klopp in training – right at the top of the list in terms of professionalism and dedication speaks volumes about the type of character Liverpool once had at Anfield.

Liverpool could sign Takumi Minamino’s Monaco teammate

French news outlet L’Equipe claimed back in May that Liverpool are keeping a close eye on Maghnes Akliouche – who stars alongside Minamino at Monaco.

The 30-year-old has already given the French wonderkid his seal of approval, telling the Monaco website: “When I arrived at the club, I noticed him straight away, he was the best young player in the team.

“He has huge potential… he is always humble, he is a good player but also a good person above all. I am sure he will have a good future so I am happy to be able to play with him.”

The Reds seem unlikely to make a concrete move for Akliouche in the near future, considering he plays in the same position as Mohamed Salah.

However, when the time comes for the Egyptian to move on, the Monaco No.11 could be his replacement.