Thiago Alcantara could emulate Jose Mourinho as Liverpool midfielder lined up for new role

Liverpool never really got to see the best out of Thiago Alcântara, sadly. The silky Spaniard arrived to much fanfare in September 2020 after playing a pivotal role in Bayern Munich's Champions League success and the midfielder was seen as the missing piece in Jürgen Klopp's midfield: a player who could control a game and retain possession amid the chaos and pressing.

In the end, Thiago's career at Liverpool flickered in periods but never held any consistency. Never the most physically robust of players, injuries plagued his time at Anfield to the extent that he never managed to reach a century of games for the club, despite being under contract for four years.

Now aged 33, Thiago's contract is weeks away from expiring. It's already been confirmed that the former Barcelona man will move on and he could return to one of his former clubs.

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According to a report in Spain, Thiago could return to Barcelona and fill a dual role. New boss Hansi Flick is in need of a translator, given that the German doesn't speak Spanish or Catalan. The idea, states AS, would be to bring Thiago back to the club in order to be one of Flick's backroom staff, but also someone who can still play and make the odd appearance.

Thiago has no intention of retiring from playing completely, but given his fragile physical well-being, the player must recognize that his best days are behind him. According to the report, former Barcelona player Marc Bartra and Javi Martinez are also in the frame to perform the role, which is similar to the one Jose Mourinho did for Sir Bobby Robson at Camp Nou in the late 1990s.

Mourinho worked under Robson for a season and Louis van Gaal for several seasons as a mix of translator and coach, before leaving for Benfica at the beginning of the century.

Bartra played for Barcelona for six years before moving to Borussia Dortmund, and this is where his knowledge of German started. Martinez, meanwhile, never played for Barcelona but did play for Bayern for nearly a decade. Thiago played for Barcelona for four years before switching to Bayern in the summer of 2013. He stayed in Bavaria for seven years before joining Liverpool.

Liverpool.com says: Thiago would be a very smart addition to Flick's backroom staff, considering his knowledge of both languages and how much of a help that would be for the former Bayern Munich coach. Yet it remains to be seen if the midfielder would take on such a position, as he wants to continue playing full-time.