Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on midfielder Wataru Endo's performance in the Carabao Cup final.
The veteran arrived in the summer in a surprise move, but has settled into the defensive midfield role without any issues.
The 31-year-old signed from VfB Stuttgart with little fanfare, quickly becoming a lynchpin in the team.
After beating Chelsea 1-0 in the League Cup at Wembley on Sunday, Klopp stated on Endo: A good development, huh? Yeah, I said it a couple of times we were lucky.
We bring him in and obviously Wataru, I'm pretty sure in three [or] four years Wataru will sign another long-term contract at Liverpool just because he might be 30 or 31 on his passport but he's not.
He's a machine. He is footballing-wise exceptional. His defensive brain is outstanding. He gives us a lot of freedom for a lot of things. Yeah, top development. Very helpful, very helpful."