It wasn't to be for Alberto Moreno at Liverpool.
The Reds signed the left back from La Liga outfit Sevilla for £12m back in 2014. At 22 years old, the Spain international was an exciting prospect. Brendan Rodgers' spending spree that summer exceeded the £100m mark, with the likes of Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Dejan Lovren, Divock Origi and Lazar Markovic also coming through the door.
Of those signings, only Origi remains on Liverpool's books - but he too is expected to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season when his contract expires. Moreno's time on Merseyside was turbulent and he never quite lived up to expectations, with the left back spot remaining a problem area for the club up until Andy Robertson's arrival three years later.
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One name has certainly been a constant in Moreno's career - Unai Emery. The defender played under the former Arsenal boss at Sevilla, winning the Europa League in 2014 after beating Benfica on penalties.
Two years later, Moreno faced his former club and manager in the Europa League final and events in Basel arguably spelled the end of his Liverpool career. Jurgen Klopp's side took the lead in the first half through Daniel Sturridge, but Sevilla responded in emphatic fashion with three goals after the break to clinch the trophy.
“I still don’t understand the amount of criticism,” Moreno admitted to the Guardian last year. “On the first goal they nutmegged me, sure. But I’m a defender. Players get past Sergio Ramos, the best centre-back in the world. Why can’t it happen to me?
“To this day I don’t understand why I got so, so much criticism, when the whole team didn’t play well. The finger was pointed at one player and I don’t think that’s OK. People blame you. Only you. It was like I lost the final.
"It’s hard. You can’t get it out of your head. You look at the paper, at social media – I don’t usually pay much attention to social media because it’s all so false – and read things. ‘Alberto, Alberto, Alberto, Alberto.’ I’ll go to my grave not understanding why I got all the blame."
The following season, Moreno made just 12 appearances in the league. Faith in him seemed to have diminished as midfielder James Milner spent the majority of the 2016/17 campaign out of position at left back.
He then returned to the starting line-up a year later, ready to fight for his spot following the arrival of Robertson from Hull City. Things appeared to be on the up as he was first choice once again, at least for the first few months of the season. Moreno was enjoying arguably his brightest spell at Liverpool, but an ankle injury in December kept him sidelined for over a month and allowed Robertson to make the position his own and Klopp never looked back.
By the end of the 2018/19 season, it was clear game time would be impossible to come by. With just five appearances in all competitions, his future understandably laid elsewhere and he made the move to Villarreal on a free transfer in the summer of 2019.
His first two seasons back in La Liga were riddled with injury, which resulted in a slow start to life at his new club. At the start of the 2020/21 campaign, an anterior cruciate ligament injury ruled him out for the majority of the season. He did, however, return in time to play a small part in Villarreal's Europa League run and he played 32 minutes of the final against Manchester United, as they beat the English side on penalties.
The defender's post-match video went viral, sending a message to his former club. With the winner's medal round his neck, he shouted three times at United, saying: "For all the fans of Liverpool, Vamos! Man Utd, get out! Get out Man Utd! Get out! You'll Never Walk Alone, siempre (always) Liverpool [in] my heart."
Under Emery, Moreno has found his stride. It was in fact his current boss that came to his defence after the Europa League final six years ago. “Alberto Moreno is playing a great season for Liverpool,” insisted Emery, the Sevilla coach at the time. "And what I have seen is he is playing at a level that he can go back to the Spanish national team. I always see the glass half-full because he has a great offensive ability and I see him as a great offensive player rather than being a poor defender.”
This season, the 29-year-old has made 35 appearances in all competitions with six goals and four assists to his name. He's widely liked by the Villarreal support and he's been key under Emery, but once again, injury has stopped him in his tracks. In their 1-0 defeat to Osasuna last month, Moreno was forced off with what would turn out to be a season-ending injury.
The Villarreal boss said post-match: "As well as the result, what most affects us is Alberto’s injury. The first reaction isn’t positive, but we are going to wait to see what the tests confirm. He’s an important player. He was playing well and was a threat for the opposition.”
Moreno won't get the Anfield return he might have hoped for when Villarreal take on his former club later this week in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie. He faces a long road to recovery as he looks to bounce back from another ACL injury and he'll be a big miss for Emery on Wednesday night.
The Villarreal boss trusts him and has struck the right balance with his defensive and attacking capabilities. His versatility and ability to play in midfield had given them another dimension this season, one that will be sorely missed when they take on Liverpool on Wednesday night.
