Thiago Alcantara has yet to take a flight as a Liverpool player.
Five of Liverpool’s entire squad have played less than the Spanish international this season.
Nabi Keita, who suffered a 135-minute injury in the second half of the Chelsea and Merseyside derby last month, and deputy goalkeeper Adrian are one more in the Premier League. Thiago is in the third place.
Thiago has played just 45 minutes more than Nat Phillips, the club’s sixth-choice center-back this season, and Rice Williams, 19, has more space in all matches.
In all competitions, in reality, Costas Simicas and Phillips are the only players in the club who have played less during seemingly endless promotions.
The two-month deal with Anfield will not be a real concern for anyone at Anfield, but there will be some for Liverpool who are hoping for a 29-year-old domestic move.
An injury forced Thiago to play ahead of the October national games against Arsenal and Aston Villa after a 2-0 second-half camero came off Stamford Bridge in September.
He later detected the coronavirus during a break before going to play 2-2 with Everton in the 90th minute.
It was a daunting challenge from Richardson late in that game, but before that it contributed to the former Bayern Munich, who missed a month of football, especially during the turbulent period for Jurgen Klopp.
Anfield sources at the time expressed the club’s hope that Thiago’s lay-off would not be prolonged and that the initial priority was at least correct when weighed against the injured Virgil Van Dijk in the same game at Goodison Park.
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Four weeks later, though, Thiago’s absence has been in favor of the Reds, which means he has already sat out about 10 games this season.
This image has swelled in the two Carabao Cup matches, whether he is fit or not, must be missed.
But the added irony of the frustration would be that Klopp could not play the best player in the two-time Champions League at a time when his injury was getting even faster on the list of Christmas favorites.
Who should play center-back against Leicester? Choose the two of you here in our quick poll.
Klopp’s vague insistence that Thiago is coming “close” to full fitness will be tested when the two-week absence from football ends with a tour from Leicester City on Sunday 22 November.
The match with Table-Topping Fox is the first of 11 before the end of the calendar year. It would be a good time to run regular fitness to sign for 25 25 million.
Thiago’s Liverpool career has yet to take off, but a return to full training at the club’s new XA training center next week could at least keep him on the runway.
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