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Liverpool journalist Simon Hughes has been sharing his thoughts on Reds midfielder Thiago Alcantara, his debut season at Anfield so far and what next season could hold for the Spaniard.
This comes after Hughes made an appearance on a recent episode of The Red Agenda where he spoke about a range of topics concerning the Merseyside club.
On the subject of Thiago, Hughes had this to say about the midfield man (9:19):
"I know we've spoken a million times that there are mitigating arguments for him in terms of the [virus] that he had, the injury that he had, been a very difficult season for him, but I do think there are question marks as well because I think he's sometimes struggled to keep up with the pace of the game.
"Looks like Liverpool may have signed a player a couple of years too late, sadly, potentially, but I do think he'll get another season to prove himself and with a full preseason campaign resembling something like normality, you would hope that he'd start the season on the front foot rather than the back foot. Because let's not forget as well he joined Liverpool having had very little break after winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich."
Liverpool signed Thiago back in the previous summer transfer window from German club Bayern Munich as Hughes mentioned in the podcast, for a fee of £19.8 million.
During his debut season at Anfield, the 30-year-old, who is currently valued at £31.5 million, has made 26 appearances for Jurgen Klopp's side across all competitions in which he has managed to score one goal and yet to provide an assist (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts on Simon Hughes' comments on Thiago.
Given how it took Thiago until Liverpool's recent 2-0 win over Southampton for him to score his first goal for the club and has yet to provide an assist for any of his teammates, it is easy to see why Hughes may have some doubts over the midfielder's suitability in the Premier League.
Moving forward, it would make sense for Liverpool, in our view, to give Thiago the opportunity to prove that he has what it takes to be a vital figure in Liverpool's squad next season instead of just giving up on him after a rocky debut season.
In other news: 'I'm totally not convinced' - BBC pundit drops damning Klopp and Liverpool verdict
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