"He's got no pace" – Ex-Liverpool star Dean Saunders expresses doubts over Reds duo after 3-2 loss to Toulouse

Ex-Liverpool star Dean Saunders has aired his doubts over Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai's respective abilities after the Reds' 3-2 UEFA Europa League defeat at Toulouse.

The Reds, who are atop their UEFA Europa League Group E with nine points from four matches, slumped to their second loss of the season on Thursday (November 9). Aron Donnum, Thijs Dallinga, and Frank Magri netted for the hosts, while Diogo Jota found the back of the net after Cristian Casseres Jr.'s own goal for the Anfield outfit.

After the end of the UEFA Europa League contest, Saunders chose to point fingers at Mac Allister for his sub-par outing against the Ligue 1 side. He told talkSPORT:

"I'm not convinced. For a start, he's got no pace. When we've seen him trying to get back the other day, you can see that he's got no pace. He's a neat and tidy footballer, but saying that, when he's keeping the ball, sometimes he gives it away and you think, so that's his game. He can't give the ball away."

Saunders also expressed his concerns about Szoboszlai, concluding:

"Szoboszlai looks a player but are they going to be better than the ones they've had? They had genuine, unselfish midfield players like Fabinho, [Jordan] Henderson, [James] Milner, [Georginio] Wijnaldum, who cover the ground. I'm not sure."

Both Mac Allister and Szoboszlai joined Liverpool on respective permanent moves earlier this summer. While the former arrived from Brighton for £35 million, the ex-RB Leipzig midfielder cost £60 million.

Mac Allister, 24, has started 12 of his 15 appearances for the Reds this season. He has provided two assists in 1077 minutes of action, primarily operating in a holding midfield position in a 4-3-3 formation.

Szoboszlai, on the other hand, has proved to be a stellar addition in his initial days at Liverpool. The 23-year-old has contributed two goals and as many assists in 16 outings across competitions so far.

Glen Johnson delivers interesting verdict on Liverpool midfielder Thiago's future at club

During an interview with UK-based betting website Betfred, ex-Liverpool defender Glen Johnson was asked to sum up Thiago Alcantara's time at the Reds. Opining on a potential new deal, he said:

"Would I offer him a new contract if the decision was mine? It depends on that treatment table in terms of how serious his injuries are. If they're only small, minor little knocks then I would, but if they're big muscle or joint injuries, then I would have to think twice."

Thiago, whose current deal is set to run out next June, is currently recovering from a long-term hip injury and is expected to be back next year. The 32-year-old is yet to make an appearance this season.

So far, the Spaniard has missed a whopping 80 games due to injuries for Liverpool and has made 97 overall appearances for them so far.