Thiago Alcantara did report for Liverpool training today, despite not being spotted on any pictures.
Speculation has been swirling over Thiago’s future recently, with reports suggesting that Liverpool are open to letting him go. Despite that, the Spaniard was named as part of the eight-strong group returning to the AXA Training Centre today.
However, as of this afternoon, Thiago hasn’t featured on any of the photos seen in the gallery on liverpoolfc.com. The club’s official Twitter page are also yet to feature any Thiago content.
Shots of the other seven (Stefan Bajcetic, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Nat Phillips, Fabinho, Darwin Nunez and Adrian) have all surfaced.
Inevitably, this has led to panic stations from Liverpool fans concerned over what’s happening with their No.6. But journalist Neil Jones has come to the rescue. Reporting on Twitter, Jones confirmed that Thiago was indeed at the AXA today.
“Liverpool return for pre-season. Eight senior players (including Thiago) were at the AXA today, with the bulk of Jurgen Klopp’s squad set to report on Tuesday,” he wrote. Phew!
Thiago reports for pre-season
Some supporters will perhaps be happy to see the back of Thiago this summer. It’s true that we haven’t consistently seen the best of the Spain international over the past three years.
Injuries have played a huge part in that, though. And we’ve still been treated to some masterful performances and moments from him in that time.
Nevertheless, his time at Liverpool would so far have to go down as a bit of a disappointment. Given the talent that he has, it’s reasonable to have expected a little more.
As a result, it would be good to see Thiago handed the chance for one last season. His contract is up in 12 months time and that would seem like a logical point to part ways.
So, we’re delighted to hear that he did report back, regardless of whether that’s acknowledged by the club.
Of course, it could be that Thiago was training away from his teammates today. He underwent surgery on a hip issue towards the end of last season and perhaps isn’t fully ready to train properly.
In that scenario though, you’d have maybe still expected the club to get a snap of him out there, especially as he’s subject to mounting speculation. Perhaps that’s something we’ll get as the evening wears on. For now though, Jones’ word will have to do.
15:55 Update: We can all breathe a sigh of relief, Thiago content has been uploaded!
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
