Thiago Alcantara gave 'daily lessons' to special Liverpool talent and Arne Slot could benefit

Liverpool had already said its goodbyes to Thiago Alcantara at the end of his contract, but did not know he would be retiring from the game altogether. As the tributes have poured in, they have mostly focused on his achievements away from Anfield — but he might be leaving at least one legacy for Arne Slot to inherit.

There's no denying that Thiago did his best work before arriving at Liverpool. Injuries, always a blight on his career, severely caught up with him on Merseyside, and he spent most of his final two seasons sidelined.

But his quality was still obvious, and Jurgen Klopp was among those to eulogize over his training levels. Some of the club's emerging youngsters were among the beneficiaries.

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In particular, compatriot Stefan Bajcetic seemingly enjoyed Thiago's tutelage. They endured similar struggles last season, spending the vast majority of the campaign in the treatment room, but the 19-year-old has still managed to take some valuable lessons from the veteran.

“I will miss your daily lessons on how to play this sport," Bajcetic wrote on Instagram in response to Thiago's retirement post. There are worse teachers to have.

Liverpool supporters have perhaps been guilty of forgetting about Bajcetic a little bit, after his injury-hit campaign. But the season prior, he had actually unseated Fabinho at the base of midfield, showcasing his immense talent.

It's no bad thing if he has been learning from Thiago. He has showcased some similar traits in his nascent career, and if he can go on to have half the career of his mentor, he will be a big asset at Liverpool.

For Slot, having Thiago's protege to call upon could be a big boost. It would be wrong to put too much pressure on his shoulders, but at the same time, he had already become established in the first team before injuries hit — if he is finally free of his fitness woes (although how many times did we say that about Thiago), then he could be a ready-made answer to the defensive midfield question.

Liverpool.com says: Bajcetic is one of the more exciting names to watch in Slot's first pre-season. In from the start, the new coach will get a nice long time to look at him and decide what kind of role he can play in the squad.

Should all go to plan, Bajcetic could be a natural successor to Wataru Endo in the squad, even if he does not manage to wholly emulate Thiago. In the absence of any obvious transfer targets at the base of the midfield, giving the Spaniard a proper chance seems like a shrewd idea.