Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has heaped praise on one of his old Liverpool teammates, showing there are no hard feelings between the pair.
Alexis Mac Allister was added to Liverpool’s ranks two years ago and he has already enjoyed plenty of success on both a team and individual level. The Argentine has been named on the 30-man Ballon d’Or nominations list after winning the Premier League last season.
One of Mac Allister’s outstanding abilities is his visionary passing. From crafting goalscoring opportunities to controlling the play, the 26-year-old is one of the best when it comes to knocking the ball around.
However, the Argentine believes one of his former Liverpool teammates is even better when it comes to passing. He told GOAL at the PFA awards event in August that “Trent Alexander-Arnold” during a round of quick fire questions and he was the best passer of the ball he had ever seen.
Mac Allister only spent two seasons playing alongside Alexander-Arnold and the right-back’s creative flair actually took a dip during these years. Alexander-Arnold only managed 10 Premier League assists during this period. At his best, he was registering up to 13 in a single campaign.
The former right-back departed Liverpool in the summer after nearly two decades at Anfield. Having joined the club’s academy at the age of six, the defender rose through the ranks and became one of the most influential players in Liverpool’s modern era.
Real Madrid secured Alexander-Arnold’s services a £10m deal in time for the Club World Cup and he managed one assist against Juventus. This contribution ultimately won them the match, but his time in Spain is still off to a rocky start.
He made his La Liga debut in a 1-0 win against Osasuna and while the match ended in victory for Madrid, the right-back’s performance was far from flawless. Defensive lapses, which were often masked during his Liverpool years by his incredible attacking instincts, were more noticeable this time around.
Since then, the 26-year-old has made two more appearances, but he is yet to complete a full 90 minute match in La Liga. In fact, his second appearance lasted just three minutes plus stoppage time, as he replaced Daniel Carvajal in the closing stages of a 3-0 victory over Real Oviedo.
However his legacy at his boyhood club is indisputable. He registered 87 assists across all competitions, holding the record for the most assists by a defender in Premier League history. He ability to influence matches with set-pieces, long-range passes, and attacking intuition made him one of the most dangerous full-backs in world football. His vision and technical skills has truly helped redefine the modern attacking full-back role.
Beyond statistics, his leadership and consistency at such a high level set him apart, earning the respect of teammates and opponents alike. It is no wonder Mac Allister was quick to heap praise on Alexander-Arnold, even after his Liverpool departure.
The Premier League champions wasted no time replacing Alexander-Arnold with Jeremie Frimpong, a player who has already won the Scottish Premiership and the Bundesliga. He has only been able to make one league appearance due to a hamstring problem, but Arne Slot will hope that in time, the Dutchman can be the versatile kind of full-back Alexander-Arnold was.
