Another week, another Thiago Alcantara injury for the unfortunate Liverpool midfielder.
It’s been a horrendous last 10 days or so for the Spain international.
He went off injured midway through Liverpool’s win over Wolves on the final day of the Premier League season, on an evening where Manchester City wound up winning the title in dramatic circumstances.
And although he made it back for the Champions League final six days later, he was substituted midway through the second half and Jurgen Klopp’s side went on to lose the game 1-0 to Real Madrid.
Reporting for international duty might’ve been viewed as a relief for the player, following the disappointment of Liverpool’s last two matches of an otherwise cracking season, but even that has been marred, too.
That’s because Spain’s official Twitter account confirmed this afternoon that the former Bayern Munich maestro – a £20 million signing in 2020 – has withdrawn from their squad.
La Roja are due to face Portugal, the Czech Republic and Switzerland in Nations League encounters over the next nine days, but it looks like the former Barcelona playmaker will be absent for all three.
Liverpool supporters will be hoping this isn’t a return of the same Thiago who endured a reasonably poor first season at Anfield.
The 31-year-old was miles better this past season than his first year on Merseyside; not because he’s a better player now, but because repeated absences made it difficult to develop any momentum under Klopp in the Premier League.
Thankfully, Liverpool haven’t got another competitive game until August, meaning this two-month period could be exactly what Thiago needs.
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