Alexis Mac Allister makes Liverpool midfield role admission as Jurgen Klopp challenge outlined

Alexis Mac Allister has eased concerns over his capability of playing a deeper role in Liverpool’s midfield three.

The Argentina international admits the positional change is new to his game but one that he is keen to enhance and improve upon.

He has played just once in his more natural left-sided midfield role, since completing his summer move to Merseyside. Liverpool moved to bring in defensive midfield cover during the transfer window, acquiring Wataru Endo from Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart.

However, Mac Allister has maintained his starting position in the number six role despite initially hinting that his influence within the starting 11 would be from elsewhere within the midfield.

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The World Cup-winning midfielder has played an important role in Liverpool’s early season success. Both he and fellow summer arrival, Dominik Szoboszlai, have enjoyed strong starts after a rebuild in the engine room during the summer from Jurgen Klopp.

Mac Allister prominently played on the left side of Brighton & Hove Albion’s midfield three during his career at the AMEX Stadium. Now he is in the early stages of his new chapter at Anfield getting to grips with a new role, but he says it is one he enjoys and wants to make an impact in the squad.

“I like it (playing in a deeper role), of course I’ve got to defend a little bit more, but that’s not a problem for me because I’m a team player,” he told TNT Sports.

“It’s so important for the players to understand the game and that’s what I try to improve every day. Then you can play as an eight, six or 10, wherever.

“Now I’m playing as a six, which is a new position for me, but it’s a position I really like, I can do it and I can help the team from there.”

It will be a family affair in the Europa League for the Mac Allister family when Liverpool’s Alexis takes on his brother, Kevin. The Reds were drawn alongside Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, who Kevin Mac Allister signed for in the summer.

Domestically, Liverpool have made a good start to the season, winning three of their opening four games. Prior to the international break, they cruised to a third straight win with a commanding performance against Aston Villa.

The Reds moved quickly to make Mac Allister their first signing of the summer, triggering a clause within his Brighton contract. It marked the first piece of business in a busy period for the middle of the pitch for Liverpool.

His switch to the north of England continued a triumphant 12 months for the Argentine in a period where he won the World Cup, made history with the Seagulls in securing their European qualification and then moving to the six-time Champions League winners. Mac Allister described the year as amazing but expressed his gratitude to Klopp for his intent.

He added: “It is an amazing year for me, I achieved a lot of good things, World Cup, to qualify for Europe with Brighton and then sign for Liverpool.

“(It was) pretty special for me. I’ve been training and working really hard to get to this place. I try to be a better person and a better player every day and I’m really happy and really proud of what I’m doing now.

“It was easy (to move to Liverpool) because the club and the manager made it easy because from the first moment, they showed a real desire for me and that was so important because in football, money is a big thing, but sometimes it’s not the biggest thing.

“The manager, the club showed a real desire, real interest, and I’m really grateful for that.”