Thiago Alcantara set to return to Barcelona again as Hansi Flick lines up permanent coaching role for silky ex-Liverpool & Bayern Munich midfielder

According to Marca, the 33-year-old could become part of Flick's backroom team as soon as January after spending a short amount of time in a similar role over the summer following his retirement from playing. Thiago was reportedly hired initially to help Flick achieve a smooth transition (due to his command of German and English) — evidently, he impressed the 59-year-old German coach enough to be brought back into the fold.

The coaching duo previously worked together at Bayern Munich, where Thiago spent a large part of his career (2013-20) pulling the strings from central midfield. The Spaniard won a staggering seven consecutive Bundesliga titles during this period, and Flick was in charge for the final trophy-winning campaign before Thiago departed for Liverpool.

Thiago severed his ties with Barca in August after only a month in his new coaching role, reportedly desperate for a fresh challenge after hanging up his boots. However, he looks set to be back on the scene just months later. The final four years of the La Masia academy product's playing career at Liverpool were hampered by injury, and it appears the experienced international midfielder believes he still has something to offer the game.

Flick's team of assistant coaches at Barca currently consists of Marcus Sorg, Toni Tapalovic, and Heiko Westermann. It's unclear exactly where Thiago would slot in here; when he departed the club in the summer he was replaced by experienced youth coach Arnau Blanco and reports suggest Barcelona are happy with the work his replacement has been responsible for, so it doesn't look like Thiago's return would threaten his position.