The Italians held talks with Liverpool over a £16m move for Alonso before deciding to sign Sevilla’s Christian Poulsen instead.

Alonso has since rediscovered the form of his earlier Anfield career to play an integral part in Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the season.

And Ranieri admits Juventus do not possess players with the quality and work-rate of the likes of Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Dirk Kuyt to allow Alonso to blossom.

“He was a player we wanted,” said Ranieri. “But he is a player, who even though he is an extraordinary man and a great professional, left me perplexed by the slowness of his movement in midfield.

“In the midfield of Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool, where all of them are little soldiers, he finds himself in a fantastic position.

“But in our midfield, he would have found it hard to support the midfield line seeing as (Juve wingers) Mauro Camoranesi and Pavel Nedved are not players that come back to give support like Liverpool’s wingers.”