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‘I love him’: Rio Ferdinand gushes over struggling £20m Liverpool player

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
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Rio Ferdinand has revealed that he’s a massive fan of Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara.

The 29-year-old has endured a bit of a stop-start career at Anfield following a £20 million move from Bayern Munich last year.

Thiago, who’s had a couple of injuries, has oozed class when he has played but on other occasions the Spain international has struggled in a big way.

He didn’t have a great game in the 3-1 defeat by Leicester City last weekend, after coming on for James Milner within 18 minutes, and there’s been some suggestions that he slows down the intensity of Liverpool’s attack.

That being said, he had a very decent game in the 2-0 Champions League win over Leipzig last night.

And Ferdinand has revealed to BT Sport that he ‘loves’ the lad.

He said: “I love him and he might not play the final pass but the pre-assist is from him. He was one of the main players in the Bayern team but now he’s come in to a dismantled team. He has not been afforded a fully fit team, which has been decimated by injuries.”

You have to remember that Thiago isn’t playing alongside the same midfielders that he thought he would be at the time of arrival at Liverpool.

The former Barcelona wizard joined Jurgen Klopp’s side when Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez were fit, meaning that Fabinho and Jordan Henderson weren’t playing in central defence.

It’s clear that Thiago is a fine, fine player and extreme judgement one way or the other should be reserved until the likes of Fabinho and his captain are alongside him in that midfield-three.

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