Former Liverpool right-back turned television pundit Glen Johnson has lavished praise on Alexis Mac Allister for seamlessly settling into a new role at the Merseyside club. The World Cup-winning midfielder has been one of the best players for the Reds in his first season at the club and Johnson has singled out the 25-year-old for praise.
Jurgen Klopp's side oversaw a major midfield overhaul in last summer with five players departing and four new players being brought in. Mac Allister was snapped up from Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of just £35 million which looks like a bargain given the impact he has made at Liverpool.
Glen Johnson hailed Mac Allister for his professionalism given the way he has played in a deeper role under Klopp. The former England international also highlighted the Argentine's ability to contribute with crucial goals and assists. Johnson told Squawka, as quoted by The Boot Room:
“He’s come up and he’s been playing out of position and sacrificing some of his ability to do a job for the team which I think he’s done well. But he’s also been getting on the scoresheet and scoring some really big goals."
The ex-Chelsea defender added:
“So yeah I think he’s surprised me in a sense of how well he’s adapted because he’s fantastic going forward but he’s been asked to play in a deeper role and it just shows you how professional the guy is and how much he wants to help the team."
Johnson concluded:
“I think he’s surprised me how well he’s adapted to that role, because we know what he’s capable of going forward but to sit there and create play from deep, I think he’s won a lot of people over.”
Prior to his switch to Liverpool, Mac Allister had already made a name for himself in the Premier League with Brighton. He also played a key role in helping Argentina win the World Cup but the flamboyant playmaker has looked even better since his switch to Liverpool.
Mac Allister has contributed with six goals and seven assists in 37 appearances across competitions this season. In his last seven Premier League outings, the Argentina international has notched four assists and three goals.
Xabi Alonso opens up on his plans to move to the Premier League after snubbing Liverpool
Former Liverpool midfielder turned manager Xabi Alonso has admitted that he could be on his way to the Premier League in the future. The Spaniard emerged as the favorite for the imminent managerial vacancy at Anfield in the summer with Jurgen Klopp set to step down but has turned the opportunity down.
However, the World Cup and European Championship-winning midfielder has left the door open for a Premier League switch in the future. Ahead of Bayer Leverkusen's Europa League clash against West Ham United, the former Real Madrid midfielder said:
"You never know… At the moment I have enough on my plate to think about, but I'm still young as a coach and for sure it's a nice opportunity."
Alonso is enjoying a phenomenal season with Bayer Leverkusen which could go down in the history books. His side are 16 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table and look destined to win the coveted trophy for the first time in their history. On top of that, they are unbeaten across all competitions, having also made the final of the DFB Pokal and the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
