Jurgen Klopp has revealed that new boys Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota may have to bide their time before they’re Liverpool regulars. The pair were handed their competitive debuts for the Reds in the 7-2 thrashing of Lincoln.
Two goals apiece from Curtis Jones and Takumi Minamino plus further strikes from Xherdan Shaqiri, Marko Grujic and Divock Origi capped a fine evening for the Premier League champions against lower-league opposition.
Tsimikas was handed a start in the absence of fellow left-back Andy Robertson, while Jota came off the bench for the final half an hour and looked a real livewire.
Klopp has indicated that the duo will face some time on the fringes of the squad in order to get up to speed with his tactical demands.
When asked if he was impressed by his new additions, Klopp told Sky Sports: “Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
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“It’s all fine for the first game 100 per cent.”
Jota has only been a Liverpool player for five days following his arrival from Wolves for £41million last weekend.
Meanwhile, Tsimikas came through the door in August from Olympiacos but his time at the club has been disrupted after he tested positive for COVID-19.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Klopp claimed he was always planning to use Jota from the bench as he looks to slowly embed him into his ranks.
“I think it makes sense that he just watches our game a little bit from the side and from the television,” he said.