Xabi Alonso has shown his allegiance to Liverpool by putting aside friendships when it comes to picking who he wants to win the Premier League this season.
The Spaniard shares a close bond with Pep Guardiola, having played under the Manchester City boss at Bayern Munich, while his compatriot invited him to watch the Premier League champions train last year ahead of forging his own managerial career.
Meanwhile, Alonso is also close friends with City assistant manager Mikel Arteta, having grown up with his compatriot in San Sebastian and later become neighbours when the duo played for the Reds and Everton respectively.
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And while he had mixed loyalties when Liverpool faced Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Kiev in 2018, there's only one team the former midfielder wants to see lift the Premier League trophy this season.
"I support Mikel and Pep a lot but my feelings are not shared at the moment," Alonso told BBC Sport. "I am a Liverpool fan.
"Last season it was phenomenal, the race that both teams had. What City did, what Liverpool did, it's going to be tough to repeat but they have the project that is stable, they know what they want but the Premier League is tough. It's still early days, but why not?"
Alonso has also spoken of his admiration for Jordan Henderson, the man now wearing the Spaniard's old number 14 jersey at Anfield, highlighting just how important he considers the Reds skipper to Jurgen Klopp's side.
"Jordan Henderson has become a figure in the changing room," he said. "I think he's so respected, so important for his team-mates - that's the sense I get from watching in the stands.
"For the way they play it's very important, the energy he has.
"He's able to take that step forwards, not backwards to make that pressure a bit higher. The way he connects with the three players up front, they play very direct and the way Liverpool is playing is the Jurgen way - the way they played at Dortmund with him and the way they play at Liverpool now."
