The Spaniard took Liverpool to his heart and is still revered - despite ruling himself out of the race to succeed Jurgen Klopp

Xabi Alonso was heavily linked with the Liverpool job earlier this year (Picture: ) Xabi Alonso brings his Bayer Leverkusen team to Liverpool on Tuesday night, having been strongly linked with the Anfield job himself earlier this year.

Xabi Alonso exuded class as a Liverpool player in the mid to late 2000s, and he’s now doing the very same as manager of Bayer Leverkusen. The 42-year-old is back at Anfield as the Bundesliga title holders meet his former club in the Champions League tonight, with the Spaniard set to receive a rapturous welcome from the Merseyside faithful.