Medical insider lambasts Liverpool hero after ‘strange’ Thiago Alcantara reveal
Thiago Alcantara has not suffered any “strange injuries” and his availability levels are exactly where Liverpool would expect them to be.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.
Thiago has only featured in 56.25 per cent of Liverpool’s games this season and has missed the previous two with an ear infection.
As quoted by Football 365 earlier this week (25 October), former Reds defender Glen Johnson claimed the 31-year-old has missed too many games for “strange reasons”.
He also claimed the midfielder “strolls” about and should not suffer any injuries while playing.
“He says he’s missed some games for ‘strange reasons’ and that’s simply not the case,” Dinnery told Football Insider‘s Connor Whitley.
“Since he came to the Premier League, he’s had a chest infection, two positive covid tests and then we’ve had this ear infection. I don’t quite get saying they are ‘strange reasons’, his argument is flawed.
“He also talked about the high number of injuries he sustained away from the pitch. Again, it’s simply not right, 75 per cent of his time loss injuries have all happened in a game.
“One of those was a fairly hefty challenge in one of the Merseyside derbies, that was a fairly significant time spent out. Again, these things don’t quite add up.
“We talk about recruitment and injury history is a really good indicator of availability expectations. Thiago is exactly where he was back in the Bundesliga.
“We’re not seeing anything different to what Thiago was like in the past. We’re seeing a player who is available for a certain number of games and that’s continued to the Premier League.
“I found a bit of a strange and ill-informed interview without any substance or fact.”
In other news, Liverpool are set to hit the jackpot amid a £2billion-plus reveal.