Liverpool could have guessed a sorry end for Thiago and must not repeat the mistake of the withdrawal

Thiago Alcantara, aged just 33, is hanging up his boots after his Liverpool contract expires. It’s a shock to see him retire completely, but he’s hardly been on the pitch for the past 18 months and ultimately it will be a transfer mistake that shouldn’t be repeated at Anfield.

There is no doubt that Thiago is one of the most talented players to wear a Liverpool shirt in recent years and perhaps ever. He was hailed by Pep Lijnders when he arrived as Jurgen Klopp’s side “deserved it” and needed to provide that element of control to a team that had already mastered the off-ball side of the game.

Unlike other orchestrators, Thiago did not let the possession down either. On paper, he was the perfect Klopp player, pressing with intensity and precision, but he picked his passes with similar aplomb.

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Excitement was widespread when Liverpool confirmed their arrival from Bayern Munich. He had just played a big part in the Champions League final and the Reds bought him for just $26m (£20m/€24m) plus add-ons.

That should have been the first warning sign. After all, there was a reason why Bayern let him go with so little fanfare.

Liverpool will be aware of Thiago’s injury record. It would have taken only the most basic due diligence to see that he has struggled for fitness throughout his career, the issues compounded in his veteran years.

The club clearly weighed the risks and decided it was a gamble worth taking. I was certainly among those who fully bought into the call, with Thiago the most genuine signing Liverpool have made in many years.

But in hindsight, it’s clear Liverpool did Bayern a favour. By taking Thiago’s significant wages, he also offered the Bavarians a healthy sum for a player whose body was already starting to betray him.

Was it optimism or delusion to sign a player who has missed nearly 40 games over the past three seasons and ask him to play a central role in a Klopp side? You’d have thought Liverpool would have learned from Naby Keita that do-it-all midfielders are often too good to be true when it comes to actually getting on the pitch, and yet the Reds have gone ahead and signed a more old with a more extensive injury history.

Ultimately, the Liverpool way is to make stars, not sign them. It’s not as exciting or as glamorous, but it’s by far the most cost-effective. Look where the big name signings have ended up at Manchester United.

As a single roll of the dice, the signing of Thiago was fine, and Liverpool got some good moments out of him – although nowhere near enough to justify his position at the very top of the all-time winners list. But Anfield is not a retirement home and with the intensity set to remain the club’s identity under Arne Slot, they cannot be repeated.

It’s no mean feat for Thiago, who has given his all for Liverpool whenever his body has allowed him to do so. It’s a sad ending for him personally and there’s no doubt he’ll be a great coach if that’s a path he decides to take. But as well as rightfully paying tribute to his career achievements, those of the red persuasion must also look inward, reflecting on a transfer failure that was always likely to happen.