Paul Merson say Liverpool have an "unbelievable footballer" and are an "utterly different" side when he doesn't play

Former Arsenal man Paul Merson believes that Liverpool’s silky Spaniard, Thiago, is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and he is only topped by City’s Kevin De Bruyne.

Thiago has been undeniably impressive for the Reds since joining in the summer of 2020, and many fans will agree with Merson’s comments.

The midfielder returned from injury to start in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Ajax last week in the Champions League, and his well-rounded display helped his side turn around a bad run of form. 

However, throughout his tenure at the Merseyside club, the 31 year-old has been plagued by injury and illnesses and has so far missed a total of 50 games.

Nonetheless, Merson still believes he is a player of immense quality and when listing the 5 best midfielders in the Prem, he put only Kevin De Bruyne above Thiago.

“Thiago Alcantara is an unbelievable footballer, he’s a class act,” said Merson to Sportskeeda.

“When he doesn’t play, Liverpool are a completely and utterly different team and we’ve seen that a handful of times already this season”

“When he first joined, there was a lot of talk that he slowed Liverpool down a little, but after he adapted to the pace of the Premier League, there’s been no stopping him!

"I just like the way he plays and moves – he’s always looking forward and is more than comfortable with playing one-touch football when the situation calls for it."

"I like players who see things on the football pitch before they happen and he’s one of them, which is why I’m such a big fan of him."

“People might be a bit surprised with Thiago’s inclusion at #2, but this is how I see the game and I genuinely believe that this guy is a special player."

"We’re talking about a world-class player who makes such a huge difference to a team like Liverpool – we saw it first-hand against Ajax when he started the game and absolutely ran the show for his team.”

Jurgen Klopp will be hoping his star midfielder can avoid any injuries and put a run of games together so as to help revive their lacklustre start to the season.