Xabi Alonso came on as a second-half substitute to make his first pre-season appearance for Liverpool as Rafa Benitez’s side strolled to a comprehensive 5-0 win over Singapore in the final game of the club’s tour of the Far East.

Andriy Voronin, Albert Riera and Fernando Torres all scored once, and reserve striker Krisztian Nemeth twice, as Liverpool ended their goal drought in emphatic fashion, but Alonso’s appearance – just days after it was thought he had ruled himself out of a game in Thailand so as not to compromise a £30 million move to Real Madrid – suggests the player may yet stay at Anfield and avoid throwing Benitez’s plans into disarray