£20m Liverpool player may have no long-term future at Anfield

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Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara is by no means assured of a long-term future at Anfield.

Thiago has suffered yet another injury blow this week, with the 32-year-old now ruled out for the final five games of the season.

And according to GOAL, the bad news may not end there for Thiago. They claim that the Spain international now faces a ‘battle’ to convince Jurgen Klopp of his future at Liverpool. To be fair to the Reds’ No.6, they do preface it by saying the same applies to all of Klopp’s current midfield options.

Thiago coming under review

It’s true that near-enough all of Liverpool’s midfielders are under scrutiny right now. But it’s also true that that fact applies to some much more than others.

Stefan Bajcetic for example is absolutely assured of his place in the squad next season. So too, you would think, is Harvey Elliott. Jordan Henderson may lose his place in the team, but there’s no way he’ll be sold this summer. After recent performances Curtis Jones also probably falls into that category.

But beyond those three, things are a little up for grabs right now. It would still be a surprise if Fabinho were let go at the end of the season, but you can’t absolutely rule it out either.

Meanwhile Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are certain to leave. James Milner is another out of contract and right now it looks likely that he’ll follow that pair out of the Anfield door.

That leaves Thiago. Perhaps the trickiest decision of the lot for Klopp. When fit he’s still Liverpool’s best midfielder. Any rebuild would be improved by having the silky smooth passer on board.

But at the same time, he’s simply missed far too many games since his £20m arrival at Liverpool. He can’t be relied upon to stay fit and there seems virtually zero chance of him staying beyond his current contract end-date of 2024. As a result, perhaps it’s best that Liverpool and Thiago cut ties at the end of this season. It would be a shame, but if he’s not convinced by now, than Jurgen never will be.