Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand have warned against judging Thiago Alcantara until Liverpool are back at full-strength.
The summer signing from Bayern Munich is yet to hit top form at Liverpool, having initially missed a period of matches through injury and a positive Covid-19 test at the start of the season.
He has since come into an injury-hit side that has struggled for form and been unable to have the sort of impact many were expecting when he moved to Anfield.
Yet, speaking on BT Sport, Owen argued it is too early to judge the midfielder.
Owen said: "He’s coming into a team that aren’t on top of their game at the moment, so it’s hard to make a judgement.
"We were discussing earlier, as a player, you appreciate him. He’s probably the most unique player in the Premier League in terms of what he can do, there’s nobody like him.
"Probably the closest thing is a Paul Scholes, the way he gives the eyes, however, when you look at him, you think: does he assist many? Not really, all his good passes are from a deep position.
"Does he stop goals? We’ve seen from those clips, he’s not a great defensive player.
"However, we all know he’s brilliant, so he’s pulling on your heartstrings either way, it’s very difficult.
"I want to judge him when the team is back playing like we know they can."
Ferdinand agreed, arguing that Thiago has proven himself to be a good enough player to avoid being doubted for the time being.
He said: "I love him, I think he’s a great player. He might not necessarily play that final pass, the assist, but the one before that - the pre-assist, he’s the one that plays the ball to get someone in.
"Bayern were the best pressing team in Europe last season, undoubtedly, and he was a key component, but, like Michael said, he’s a player who’s come into a team dismantled with injuries."
