The wheel of fortune has turned full circle for footballer Javier Mascherano in two eventful years. The Argentine first arrived to play in England’s Premier League in 2006, hailed as one of the world’s best young midfielders after impressing during that year’s World Cup tournament. He thrives in the role traditionally known in his country as the “number five”, the holding position, and is even better suited to play as one half of a “double five”. But he struggled to find a role for his defensive midfield abilities at West Ham United, although, as he told me at the time, he had spotted one Premier League club displaying the tactical characteristics that he understood so well.

He said then: “When a team plays with two midfielders one has to defend a bit more than the other. And one has to provide some balance. Logically, if they can take turns, that’s the best. Maybe I find Liverpool is the team where they can both do it. Like Xabi Alonso and [Steven] Gerrard, you know? When one is up front, the other can defend.”