Monaco have been busy in the summer transfer window, selling Aurélien Tchouaméni to Real Madrid for a bumper fee and reinvesting some of the money on attacking assets Minamino from Liverpool and Breel Embolo from Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Minamino made his Monaco debut against Inter Milan on Saturday, coming off the bench at half-time to help the principality side to a 2-2 draw against the Italian champions at the Stadio Paolo Mazza in Ferrara, and fans are rightly excited at what's to come.

Back story:

Born in Izumisano, a small city in the Japanese prefecture of Osaka on 16 January 1995, Minamino took an early interest in football, drawing inspiration from Brazil's Ronaldo when the striker top-scored at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea when Minamino was seven.

Five years later and Minamino was making the short journey to regional power, Cerezo Osaka, by which time he had started to model his game more closely on Shinji Kagawa, who was in their first team at the time. He made his debut in 2012 and followed Kagawa to Europe in 2014, joining Red Bull Salzburg.

Minamino's stay in Austria was his most trophy-laden. The Japanese won six Austrian Bundesligas in six seasons, four of which came as part of a domestic double, and he left for Liverpool in 2020 with 64 goals and 43 assists in 199 games to his name.

Getting past Mo Salah and Sadio Mane in the wide attacking positions at Liverpool proved difficult, though, and having had a loan spell at Southampton in 2021, Minamino now has the chance to be a main player for Monaco.

Style of play:

Minamino boasts sharp control and a low centre of gravity, making him very difficult for opposition defenders to dispossess. He is also a willing worker, readily pressing the opposition to win the ball back as soon as possible after losing it - something that certainly suited Jurgen Klopp's gegenpressing style.

"He's everywhere, he defends like a devil and then offensively he's really involved," the Liverpool manager said after a 1-0 win over Ajax in the UEFA Champions League in October 2020.

Current campaign:

Minamino elected not to go back out on loan last season, and he was rewarded. While Mane and Salah remained the wingers of choice at Anfield, Minamino was given significant time in the cup competitions, and ended the campaign as the Reds' top scorer in both the FA Cup and the EFL Cup - scoring seven times across both competitions and lifting the latter.

Minamino lined up as a False 9 against Inter, showcasing his adaptability, and having had a chance cleared off the line by André Onana in Italy, will hope to get off the mark in upcoming friendly games against Porto as well as former club Southampton.

What they said:

"It is a great joy for me to join AS Monaco. I am happy to be part of the club's project, having just finished on the podium twice in a row and being one of the most recognised clubs in an exciting league. I look forward to discovering my new environment and doing everything possible to help the team."

- Minamino on swapping Liverpool for Monaco.

"He made us better every day he stayed with us, and not just in the games he played, but in every training session. He always had a perfect attitude, and a winning mentality!"

- Klopp with no hard feelings after Minamino left.

Photo credit: asmonaco.com