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Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves has described Liverpool's Thiago Alcantara as his toughest Premier League midfielder thanks to the Spain international's blend of intelligence and physicality.

Thiago suffered an injury-hit first season at Liverpool after joining from Bayern Munich in September 2020. This season has been more fruitful for the 30-year-old, though, playing a big part in the Reds' quest for a sensational quadruple.

Neves has impressed himself, prompting links with Manchester United among other clubs, and is on track to match his career-best return of six league goals in a single season. The 24-year-old has spoken of former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso as a player whose game he has looked to for inspiration, but insists Thiago is the toughest rival he has faced in the Premier League.

"[Alonso and Sergio Busquets] are references for me," Neves, who played against the pair for Porto and Portugal respectively, told The Athletic. "It’s an honour to play against them and to have their shirt at home.”

When quizzed on his toughest opponent, he mentioned the pair once more. “Alonso and Busquets, who I mentioned earlier, but I will also say one from the Premier League — Thiago," he said. When I played against Xabi Alonso (at Bayern), Thiago was there as well… that was a hard game!

Neves and Thiago went head to head in December, both playing 90 minutes as Divock Origi's late goal gave Liverpool victory at Molineux. The pair also faced off in March, with that game