Liverpool stars Alisson and Sadio Mané have both admitted they are excited for the future after seeing Thiago Alcántara's debut for the Reds in Sunday's 2-0 win over Chelsea.
The Spaniard was introduced at half time following a minor injury to Jordan Henderson, and he proceeded to break records with his passing. He managed 75 passes in just 45 minutes - a feat never before managed - and he also racked up more passes than any Chelsea player.
After the game, Alisson was interviewed by ESPN Brazil, and the goalkeeper was quick to credit Thiago for helping Liverpool keep their foot on the gas against a potentially dangerous Chelsea side.
“I see that his entry was necessary. Hendo felt something, I don’t know what. I don’t know if it was a discomfort or a blow," he said. "It was a necessity for him to enter and he’d done three or four training sessions with us.
"Showing his quality, the level of player he is, a player capable of competing for a position within the team. And certainly his entry gave mobility and a lot of movement in the midfield for us to be able to create spaces, find difficult passes, he’s a player who has this quality, to find passes between lines. He certainly contributed a lot to our victory.”
Mané echoed a similar sentiment during his own post-game interview with Sky Sports, admitting the chance to play with somebody of Thiago's quality does not come around too often.
“Not only me, all the world knows what he is capable of doing," the forward said. “He is one of the best players in the world, so we are lucky to have Thiago in our team. And I think he showed that he is a great player.”
After an impressive debut, Thiago will hope to seal a spot in Jürgen Klopp's starting lineup for their next Premier League game, which will see Arsenal travel to Anfield on Sunday.
Before then, the Reds will travel to Lincoln City for a Carabao Cup third-round tie, but Klopp will likely opt to give some of his fringe players a run-out in that one.
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Source: 90min
