Garth Crooks blown away by Liverpool star Thiago Alcantara

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Garth Crooks has heaped praise on Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara after the midfielder’s performance in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Everton.

The BBC pundit named the Spaniard in his Team of the Week on the BBC website and was extremely impressed with the 29-year-old.

Thiago signed for Liverpool in the summer from Champions League winners Bayern Munich for £20 million.

He had played just once before Saturday’s start against Everton but does look like being a big player for the Reds.

Crooks was certainly impressed with his showing in the weekend share of the spoils.

He told BBC Sport: “What was Jordan Pickford doing on the field? The tackle on Virgil van Dijk was so villainous it should have come with a government health warning!

“The same was true of the tackle by Richarlison on Thiago Alcantara but that was appropriately dealt with by referee Michael Oliver.

“Thiago is a class act and totally complements the way Liverpool play. He also handled the Merseyside derby like he’d been playing in them all his life. That said, when you’ve played in El Clasico, there is little else to compare.”

Thiago has proved a quality player during the last few years, helping Bayern to a special campaign during 2019/20.

The Germans won the league title and also won all 11 games they played in the Champions League.

On Saturday he completed 79 passes which was more than any other player on the pitch, with Thiago having 99 touches of the ball.

It’s early days for the Spanish international but he already looks like becoming a class addition to not just Liverpool but also the Premier League.

Liverpool have been dealt a blow with Virgil van Dijk being ruled out and they’ll hope Thiago can recover quickly.