Monaco’s Takumi Minamino branded Ligue 1 flop of the season so far

 
Former Liverpool striker, Takumi Minamino has been branded the ‘flop of the season so far in the French Ligue 1.

Monaco had paid Liverpool £15m to sign the Japanese striker this summer.

Since completing his move to the Ligue 1 club, Minamino has started just two games and made six appearances from the bench.

His first Monaco goal eventually came last week in their 3-0 win against Reims.

The 27-year-old brought an end to his two-and-a-half-year stay with the Reds this summer. But he is yet to prove himself at the French club.

The £15 million signing is even seen as better than AC Milan striker, Divock Origi, who is already seen as Serie A’s WORST signing of the season as he continues to battle injuries.

After just eight games, Quotidien Du Sport labelled the striker as the biggest flop.

In their explanation, they said: ‘The Japanese had to speed up the Monegasque game and bring movement in attack. In nine games, he played six and never stayed on the pitch for more than 67 minutes.

From the look of things, Minamino seems too frail physically, and he is struggling to adapt to the intensity of the duels.

Meanwhile, it could be said that Minamino put the criticism to one side by opening his Ligue 1 account when he scored his first goal for Monaco during their 3-0 win over Reims on Sunday.

This was the same situation during his time in the Merseyside club, where he was mainly deployed as a substitute, having struggled for consistency.

But last season was different as the Japanese striker had his best campaign with the Reds. He scored 10 goals, seven of which were from cup competitions as Jurgen Klopp’s side won the domestic double.

Written by Oladipupo Mojeed