Liverpool have had their fair share of quality players in their time and many of them have used their knowledge to step into a managerial role.

Reds fans may start feeling old when they see some of the favourite players try their hand at management, with many former Liverpool stars attempting just that.

Steven Gerrard is one of the most recent ones to try something new but, unlike his former midfield partner Xabi Alonso, hasn’t had as much success.

The Spanish midfielder went a whole season unbeaten as he helped guide Bayer Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title, and now has the pressure of being Real Madrid manager ahead of the new campaign.

Xabi Alonso's comments about Arsenal target Martin Zubimendi say it all as phone call emerges	I struggled to cope with not being good enough for Liverpool - Florian Wirtz won't have same problem	'Definitely': El Hadji Diouf has just made a controversial claim about Liverpool's Mohamed SalahEl Hadji Diouf has just made a controversial claim about Liverpool's Mohamed Salah

Therefore, it is safe to say that Alonso knows his stuff and after helping develop Florian Wirtz into the player he is today, he may know him better than anyone.

Back in 2023, there was one player in particular the Spaniard compared him to and Liverpool fans might get even more excited.

Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images

The world’s best footballer is a hotly-debated topic but over the last decade or so, Lionel Messi has been one of the first names mentioned.

Arguably one of the best players in the history of the sport, being compared to him is a real honour but something that comes with great pressure, with Wirtz having to deal with this since Alonso likened him to the Argentine back in 2023.

MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES

“There are good players and there are players who look good on the pitch.

The player who looks good does things that are nice, but not necessarily efficient,” Alonso said as reported by the Daily Mail.

“Why is Messi so good?

Here, there you have the ball!’

READ MORE: Andy Robertson shares what he immediately noticed when he played against Florian Wirtz ahead of Liverpool move

“It’s not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest.

That’s why he’s so good.”

However, one good sign for Liverpool fans is that in the two years since Alonso said this, Wirtz has, if anything, only gotten better, suggesting that he doesn’t let the pressure get to him.

Despite Fabrizio Romano giving fans the ‘Here we go’ confirmation, conflicting reports suggest Wirtz isn’t a done deal just yet.

£126m is the bid rumoured to have been accepted, but add-ons remain the final part of the deal that needs to be ironed out, a tedious detail that could drag it on for longer.

However, journalists are still confident the two clubs will strike a deal and he will be a Liverpool player next season, with the view in Germany being that Wirtz leaving is a failure for the Bundesliga, showing just how good he really is.

Reds fans will now just have to play the waiting game, even if it does feel like that’s what they have already been doing, although all the signs are positive for now.