Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo has explained that he wears a gum shield during matches to help put him in ‘game mode’ with the added benefit of making him look like a fighter. Endo has established himself as a favourite of Jurgen Klopp since joining Liverpool over the summer, with the Reds manager having singled him out for praise on several occasions.
The Japan skipper has also attracted attention for his unusual habit of wearing a gum shield on the pitch, making him look more like a rugby player or a boxer than a Premier League footballer. He explained his reasons for using the extra protection ahead of Saturday’s game against Arsenal, insisting that it is not only to protect his teeth.
“When I was in Germany I met a Japanese dentist,” he told Sky Sports. “He told me it’s a good mouthpiece, it makes something different about performance. Now I just wear it to protect my teeth and also it looks like a fighter, so when I go into the pitch I just put the mouthpiece on and it’s like game mode.”
Endo was initially viewed as a stop-gap solution for Liverpool when he was signed following Fabinho’s sudden move to Saudi Arabia in the summer. However, he has since established himself as an important player for the Reds, starting in each of their last four Premier League matches.
The 30-year-old was recently hailed by Klopp, who said that he always knew Endo would settle in well if he was given time to adapt to the Premier League.
“We don’t give people time anymore,” explained Klopp before comparing Endo to two of Liverpool’s best signings in recent memory. “Some of the biggest players in my time needed time to adapt. Andy Robertson didn’t play half a year, pretty much he was not in the squad.
“Fabinho, we had to change the system for as he couldn’t play six individually and later he could. Endo is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met and I’m glad the public can see it as well. He gives something different. He is the one for the tackles and we don’t have 20 people on the pitch for whom tackling is a hobby.”
Endo, meanwhile, recently admitted that he has found it hard to deal with certain aspects of playing in England but was quick to insist that he will keep improving as he continues to find his feet.
“It’s harder than I thought but I’m very happy to be here,” he said earlier this month. “Physically, it’s speedy, so it’s very hard to adapt but it’s the Premier League and I keep trying and keep playing and I’ll get better. I’m already 30 years old but I feel I have a chance to grow as a football player so I’m so happy to be here and I can improve.
“After I got here I had a talk with the boss about how Liverpool play. After that I just try to do that and he talks a lot with me about it. Every time I try to help Liverpool play and of course I always watch what they do from the bench. I think it is an important thing and I am getting better and better.”
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