has claimed that Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara is good enough to play for any team in the world.
Thiago has been one of the best players in his position over the last decade and has been one of the Reds’ best performing players this season, helping Klopp’s side challenge for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies.
This follows years of picking up silverware for and , where the Spaniard’s achievements included 11 league titles and three Champions Leagues.
‘Thiago is in the shape he’s in now that he will play for each team in the world, and he would perform for Spain as well,’ Klopp said at his pre-match press conference on Monday ahead of Liverpool’s semi-final clash against Villarreal.
‘Spain has obviously a lot of options in midfield because it’s an incredibly talented football team, but in the shape he’s in at the moment he would play for each national team and would not only play for it, he would probably be the outstanding performer, so that’s how it is.’
Thiago joined Liverpool from Bayern in 2020 for £20million but struggled to have an impact in his first season in England, with injuries and COVID-19 restricting the 31-year-old to just 23 starts in all competitions.
But this campaign has been a lot more productive with Thiago solidifying his place in the starting XI ahead of stiff competition from the likes of Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
‘He was just hit with problems when he arrived here, people got injured,’ Klopp added.
‘Thiago needs to be fit, needs to gain rhythm, needs to gain all the physical aspects and then he can show his best football.
‘It has nothing to do with playing for Spain or Liverpool or Bayern or whatever. If he’s just in the right place physically then he would show everybody how good he is.’
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