Jamie Carragher has said Liverpool should have sold Wataru Endo, calling the Japan international a 'cult hero' who is 'never going to play' for the club under manager Andoni Iraola.
The former Liverpool defender made the comments on The Overlap after Iraola named his 25-man squad for the league phase of the Champions League this week, a process that left out both Endo and Federico Chiesa.
'Liverpool have got two players in the squad who are never going to play. And there are all these quotas, you can only have 17 (non-homegrown) players and all that,' Carragher said. 'They have got Chiesa and Endo. It's like they are never going to kick a ball.'
He added: 'Endo should have been moved on. He has done great, a bit of a cult hero.'
Champions League squad rules
Clubs competing in the Champions League's league phase must submit a squad of up to 25 players, with a maximum of 17 permitted to be non-homegrown. Iraola has had a handful of new players to work into his squad this season following the arrivals of Jeremy Jacquet, Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola, while Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate have all left the club.
Giovanni Leoni, Hugo Ekitike and Conor Bradley are all battling long-term injuries but were still included in the 25-man squad, unlike Endo and Chiesa.
Endo and Chiesa's struggles
Endo joined Liverpool in the summer of 2023 under Jurgen Klopp but has never really settled into the side. He played 12 times last season as he battled injuries and selection, with Premier League game time especially hard to come by, and was an unused substitute in the draws with Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
Chiesa, who joined the Reds in 2024, has also struggled for minutes, first under Arne Slot and now, it appears, under Iraola. He made just five starts last season and has missed the opening of this campaign through injury.
The pair may now have to wait for cup games to get on the pitch for Liverpool, though both remain eligible to feature in the Premier League.
