Thiago has not played for Liverpool since April of last year due to a persistent hip injury, something he eerily predicted due to his playing style.
The Spaniard is one of the game’s most talented players, but Jurgen Klopp has been unfortunate not to be able to call upon him as consistently as he would have hoped.
Thiago has made 97 appearances for the club since arriving in 2020 from Bayern Munich, but has not stepped foot on the field for the Reds since he came off the bench at West Ham in April 2023.
He underwent hip surgery last May, described as a “minor procedure” at the time, but he has since had a number of set-backs that have forced the club and the player to be patient.
In a clip that has resurfaced from a chat with Owen Hargreaves in 2022, Thiago explains how his no-look passing technique puts a lot of stress on his hip joints.
“In 10 years’ time, my hip will be destroyed, 100 percent,” he told SuperSport of his technique.
@supersportofficial Iconic ? #thiago #thiagoalcantara #liverpool #nolookpass #premierleague ? original sound – SuperSportTV
“But it’s a way to fake them or to trick the other guys, and give a better position to my team-mate.”
A trait that sets him apart, but is has come at a great cost. And his prediction has come a lot sooner than 10 years, unfortunately.
His disguised passes are made to look easy on the eye, but the toll on the body is vast, especially when one does the same motion repeatedly throughout a game and across an entire career.
Thiago has been playing at the top level for 15 years, and considering the length of his absence, it is no surprise to see these words from two years ago remerge and go viral across social media platforms like Reddit and X.
It was a little too on the nose.
It is frustrating not to be able to utilise a player of his quality, and the hope now is that he can return and at least play a part this season before his contract expires in the summer.
The last injury update we received over Thiago was on December 29, Klopp said: “The hip, in and around that area, is just a long-term thing as well. There were days he could’ve easily trained, but it’s all about how he can be back in the long term.”
