After a star showing as captain for the Liverpool Legends on Saturday, Xabi Alonso was jokingly asked whether he would fill in as part of Jurgen Klopp‘s midfield.
Alonso wore the captain’s armband as Liverpool beat their Man United counterparts 2-1 at Anfield, with goals from Mark Gonzalez and Florent Sinama-Pongolle cancelling out a Dimitar Berbatov opener.
The Spaniard showed his class throughout, proving that age is just a number for a player of his technique, controlling the game from midfield.
It led to tongue-in-cheek claims he could still slot into the current first-team midfield, which has been plagued with injuries this season with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Curtis Jones still out.
But speaking to LFCTV after the charity friendly, Alonso laughed off suggestions and insisted that Klopp “has enough to pick!”
“They will come back. I really like the players they have in the midfield,” he explained.
“I love Thiago – he’s a great friend of mine – Fabinho, Hendo.
“Once they regain that engine, everything, the defence, the strikers, [will improve], they have the quality.
“Liverpool have a ‘mentality monsters’ machine at the moment.”
The 40-year-old may no longer be a viable option as a player, but he is forging a career as a young coach while taking opportunities to represent Liverpool whenever possible.
There could be a chance, of course, that he eventually sits in the dugout at Anfield, with Alonso showing his affinity to the club and the “best stadium in the world.”
“It is different,” he continued.
“You have great stadiums all over the world, great atmospheres, Champions League nights, but this is Anfield.
“The soul, the stands, the lights, it’s different and it’s pure football. That’s why we love it.
“As a player, as a fan, anyone that comes…you fall in love with it.”
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