18 February 2024 , 14:08
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A gobsmacked Jamie Carragher couldn't believe when new teammate Xabi Alonso was already pointing out how Liverpool could improve during talks with Rafa Benitez - before even making his debut.
Having signed for the Reds in 2004 from boyhood club Real Sociedad, a 22-year-old Alonso had everything to prove at Anfield, but he immediately demonstrated his footballing brain in private discussions with new boss Benitez. Two decades later and Alonso is the favourite to follow in Benitez's footsteps, as current manager Jurgen Klopp has announced that he'll be leaving at the end of this season.
Carragher is one of his ex-teammate's most prominent backers, with Alonso guiding German side Bayer Leverkusen to a five-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with 12 games to go. Add to that the fact it's his first senior managerial role and his first full season at Leverkusen, it's easy to see why Alonso, now 42, is receiving so many plaudits.
But back when Liverpool supporters weren't so familiar with the midfield maestro - who'd go on to star for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich - Alonso irked Carragher with comments about Benitez and Co's shortcomings. Speaking to The Redmen TV, the Anfield icon explained: "I remember Rafa saying - and don't forget Xabi was only 22 - 'We've got this player coming in, I think he's a fantastic player. He's already spoken about where the team can improve, other tactical things'.
"And I'm reading this thinking, 'Who the f****** hell does he think he is? 22, coming over from Spain, telling us where we're going wrong. F****** let's see you in the shirt first!'"
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That to Carragher, though, proved to be the first sign of Alonso's aptitude for coaching. "We used to speak a lot about football," Carragher, who won the 2005 Champions League alongside the Spain international, added. "He was always someone who was interested in football and he did watch a lot of football."
Your turn! Is Xabi Alonso the right man for Liverpool? Give us your verdict in the comments section.
Xabi Alonso is Jamie Carragher's pick to become Liverpool's next manager (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)The ex-Reds defender now believes that Alonso is the "standout candidate" to replace Klopp, despite only managing 69 senior matches. "It's still very early in his managerial career," Carragher admitted on CBS Sports earlier this week. "In an ideal world you'd say, 'It's Xabi Alonso but he's had another job, he might have won a Champions League somewhere else, he's won a league here' and all these different things.
"But, I don't see where he is right now, anyone that would be in front of him in terms of what Liverpool fans want or maybe the Liverpool board want. I don't know what the Liverpool board want but he just feels like he is the standout candidate."