Claudio Ranieri, the Juventus coach, says he pulled out of a move for Xabi Alonso because he felt the Liverpool midfielder was "too slow".

The Italian club held talks with the Spain international during the summer, but Alonso remained at Anfield after Liverpool's protracted move for Gareth Barry, the Aston Villa midfielder, broke down.

"He [Alonso] was a player we wanted," Ranieri said. "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 [Juventus wingers] Mauro Camoranesi and Pavel Nedved are not players that come back to give support like Liverpool's wingers."