Xabi Alonso stood elegantly at the center of attention at Anfield, considered his options and changed play in an instant. Had the ball been at his feet it would have felt like it had never left, but it was about succeeding Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, where the club's former midfielder showed the most deft touches.

Alonso was back at Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool's Champions League opponents, on Tuesday evening, 15 years after he ended a playing chapter of his career synonymous with style, Istanbul and an intuitive rapport with Steven Gerrard. He could have come back sooner if Liverpool had received any encouragement that he might have been looking for a new job this summer. He had not considered this possibility at the time, nor did he want to discuss it again at his pre-game press conference on Monday.

“At that time I was focused on a big thing with Leverkusen,” said the man who has transformed the German club’s fortunes and was the popular choice to replace Klopp earlier this year before Arne Slot took the initiative and took off.

“Let’s talk about the game tomorrow, it’s more interesting than my future,” Alonso said. “Let’s talk about the great players on both sides, that’s what’s on my mind. It is a big challenge for us to come here. Liverpool are currently one of the best, if not the best, in Europe, as they show in a very strong Premier League and Champions League. It's a good team, a good coach. It’s a big challenge at Anfield.”

One advantage of Klopp informing the Liverpool management team of his decision to quit last November was the time it gave them to explore potential successors. Liverpool were informed at the start of their search that Alonso had no plans to leave Leverkusen at the end of the 2023/24 season. Instead, the due diligence began privately on Feyenoord's slot. An impressive start with 13 wins from the Liverpool head coach's first 15 games has ensured calls for Alonso's return are forgotten. But the reputation of the noble Basque at Anfield remains undiminished.

The Leverkusen coach said: “It feels great to be back after a few years. It's always special. You can see the development of the club, the new stands look pretty great. There's definitely a big game against Liverpool tomorrow at a great moment, it can't get much better than that. I don't think about it that much (how it will be received). I'm thinking more about how to prepare for the game. Maybe I'll think about my memories when I go for a walk or jog tomorrow. I know the city, I love it and I still have friends here, but I don’t have time for tourism.”

Alonso has the serious credentials to underpin his huge appeal to Liverpool. And to Real Madrid, who have also been linked with a reunion with their former midfielder after Carlo Ancelotti. After taking his first managerial role with Leverkusen in the relegation zone in October 2022, the 42-year-old led the club to its first Bundesliga title 18 months later, breaking Bayern Munich's 11-year championship streak. His first full season ended with victory in the DFB Cup final and a national double.

The current season opened with winning the German Super Cup. After four draws in their last five league games and a loss to Leipzig that ended Leverkusen's 35-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga, the reigning champions are seven points behind Bayern in fourth place. However, they are unbeaten in seven away games in all competitions this season.

“He’s special, that’s for sure,” Slot said of the first candidate he got for the job. “If you go to a club that was at the bottom of the league and take them to the top with the same players, without spending so much money, just signing one or two very good players, and then the season they had , only with one defeat.” The Europa League final shows that he is something special.

“It's hard for me to say what makes him special because I haven't met him yet and haven't worked with him yet. The situation could be that he has worked with very good managers in the past, he was a player with incredible insight into the game, he knew when to be where and he played at the highest level so he knows and understands how these players feel in certain moments. That probably contributes to what makes him a good manager.”