Sadio Mane admits he did not expect Liverpool new boy Thiago to looks as good as he does.
The midfielder was signed from Bayern Munich in the summer and has wasted no time in showing his class.
Thiago made his debut as a sub back in September at Chelsea and quickly set about dictating play.
The Spaniard was injured in the Merseyside derby back in October but has since returned and set about asserting himself in the Liverpool midfield.
Teams are becoming wise to Liverpool's attacking pace but Thiago will bring a huge amount of creative flair to the Reds.
And Mane is pleased to have him feeding balls through to him.
"I always said Thiago is one of the best in his position in the world, for sure," he told the club's official website.
"He was unlucky with the injury, but now he is coming back. It is not easy to come back from an injury and be 100 per cent on the pitch, but you can see Thiago [and his quality].
"From his first game I was impressed because I didn’t think he would be that impressive on the pitch!
"It is coming slowly, slowly and I think he is reaching his best level, which is very good for us and for Liverpool Football Club. I can’t wait."
Thiago was one of Jurgen Klopp's two major summer arrivals with Diogo Jota being the other.
The German hasn't been able to get much use out of the Champions League winner thus far.
And as Thiago gets back into his rhythm Klopp concedes it is like having a new recruit coming into the side.
He said: "It is really good to have him around now. He is a really good guy and an exceptional football player. It is like a new signing."
