A Liverpool reject, who was loaned out six times without playing a single minute for the first team, looks unrecognisable ahead of an unlikely debut at the Club World Cup.
Liverpool have been widely praised for their impressive recruitment since the Jurgen Klopp era began on Merseyside, with the fruits of that labour seeing them win the Premier League title in Arne Slot's first season since taking over from the German. But they have not always been so successful in the transfer market.
In 2015, they paid £500,000 for young Brazilian midfielder, Allan. But due to work permit issues, he was unable to play for Liverpool. In 2020 he left the club, having failed to make a first-team appearance.
It was not a total disaster though, as Liverpool managed to make a profit on the player.
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Now, Allan may be about to establish himself on the international stage, with his Flamengo side set to compete at the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup.
They have been drawn in group D, alongside ES Tunis, Chelsea and Leon.
What happened during Allan's stint at Liverpool?
Allan began his career in Brazil with SC Internacional. He joined Liverpool in August 2015 for €700k (£590k), becoming a part of their youth setup.
His first loan was to Finnish side SJK, where he played eight games, scoring twice as they won the league title. He spent the second half of the 2015/16 season at Sint-Truiden in the Belgian Pro League.
The following season, he moved to Hertha BSC, but he was limited to just 15 appearances. In 2017/2018, he moved away from Western Europe to join Apollon Limassol in Cyprus. But he still struggled to make an impression, as he played 16 games.
He signed a contract extension at Liverpool, before loaning him to Eintracht Frankfurt, but his time in Germany was a failure.
Allan only played four times, forcing the Reds to cut his loan short and send him back to Brazil to join Fluminese.
And he established himself as a first-team regular, making 47 appearances. His successful stint in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A attracted interest from other Brazilian sides.
When did Allan leave Liverpool?
With just six months left on his Liverpool contract, Allan made a permanent move to Brazil's Atletico Mineiro for £3.2 million ($4.2m), with Liverpool negotiating a 10% sell-on clause into his contract.
That clause proved valuable when, in 2023, he made a €8.2 million move to Brazilian giants Flamengo.
So far this season, he has made five appearances in Flamengo's first 11 Brazilian Serie A matches.
The Club World Cup offers Allan a chance to prove to the world why they bought him.
Topics: Liverpool, Flamengo, Football, Transfer News, Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours
James Taylor