Xabi Alonso given ‘brutal warning’ by Liverpool stranger as ‘UEFA issues’ linger

The inside track on Xabi Alonso to Liverpool is so prized that Glen Johnson’s role is elevated and Bastian Schweinsteiger is an expert.

First, a Marcus Rashford exclusive…

Another piece of the puzzle
The dictionary definition of ‘exclusive’ is ‘an item or story published or broadcast by only one source’.

So when Marcus Rashford posts an image on his own Instagram on Tuesday of a jigsaw, it’s hard to argue that The Sun – a full 24 hours later – have an ‘exclusive’ on Marcus Rashford doing a jigsaw.

Though perhaps the ‘exclusive’ is the quote they got from a ‘source’, which they absolutely did not invent to pad out a story that begins and ends with an image of a jigsaw.

“It’s an unusual choice for a top-flight footballer in his 20s, but the last thing he needs is to return to his partying.

“He’s making an effort to stay in and behave himself.

“Let’s hope he sticks with it.”

Definitely sounds like something a ‘source’ would say. Mediawatch is just shocked that the same source did not say that Rashford and the jigsaw ‘just couldn’t keep their hands off each other’.

READ: Man Utd owners want fans ‘to pay to be Marcus Rashford for 90 minutes’ in AR camera push

How could you do that to a teammate?
At F365 we receive at least a dozen e-mails a day from gambling companies who have enlisted ex-professionals to give their opinions on the hot football topics. Some are tosh, some are Paul Parker.

One such ex-footballer is Glen Johnson, who has been giving his thoughts on the Liverpool job. We covered the story here – Ex-Liverpool star reveals ‘big names’ will be ‘put off’ joining Liverpool because of post-Klopp ‘guillotine’ – and you might spot that our headline is rather different from the one used by the Mirror despite it being exactly the same story:

Xabi Alonso’s ex-Liverpool teammate sends brutal warning over replacing Jurgen Klopp

Pesky fact: Xabi Alonso and Johnson were never Liverpool teammates; Alonso left in 2009 just as Johnson signed.

You might think that a quick Google would have prevented that little f***-up.

With that in mind, it seems churlish to point out that Johnson’s comments on Alonso are as follows:

“Being an ex-legend of the club and a fan favourite will mean that Xabi’s given time. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s going to be successful, but I think the fans will have more patience with him.

“They will give him more leeway than they would with a manager that doesn’t already have an affiliation with the club. So from that side of it, I think it could be a good option.”

That really is a ‘brutal warning’. From a man he has probably never met. Which must really hurt.

Bastian of knowledge
At least Bastian Schweinsteiger has actually played on the same pitch as Xabi Alonso, so his words carry slightly more weight. But not as much weight as SPORTbible would have you believe.

Former Man Utd star reveals ‘big’ Xabi Alonso news he ‘knows’ that Liverpool fans need to know

‘Former Man Utd star’ is already funny because frankly he was totally sh*te at Manchester United. But he’s obviously bringing ‘big’ news that he ‘knows’.

Here’s the relevant quote:

“I know Xabi and I believe that it is his big dream to coach Liverpool one day. I certainly think it’s possible that he will move to Liverpool in the summer.”

So he doesn’t ‘know’ anything at all; he ‘believes’ it.

And the news is not ‘big’; the dream is ‘big’.

He literally says the move is ‘possible’ because all he really knows is that he played with Xabi Alonso for one season almost a decade ago and he really loves Liverpool.

The only thing that Liverpool fans ‘need to know’ is to ignore any and all of this nonsense.

I got issues…
And the bad news for Xabi Alonso or whoever replaces Jurgen Klopp is that a club that employs over a dozen scouts as well as various performance analysts are – this is going to blow your mind – not going to sit on their hands until a new coach is appointed.

Liverpool decide first signing for next manager after Jurgen Klopp to avoid UEFA issues

Or maybe just because that’s how elite football clubs work.

But no, the Express want you to believe that Liverpool are facing ‘UEFA issues’ and that’s why they have to move for Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo.

Liverpool’s pursuit of Adarabioyo does fall in line with their need for homegrown talent. With the club expected to qualify for the Champions League next season, they boast just four senior homegrown players in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez and Caoimhin Kelleher. Harvey Elliott and Conor Bradley still count as Under-21 stars.

With their threadbare homegrown player count it is a factor that will be considered heavily in their summer transfer business.

This would be a far more compelling argument if Liverpool did not have to follow exactly the same rules for the Europa League, a competition in which they have serenely progressed and remain the favourites to win.