Jurgen Klopp has revealed one of his Liverpool players has exceeded all expectations in his final season at the club.
The summer transfer window included a major squad reshuffle at Anfield, with Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino and James Milner all departing.
The Reds made four signings, bringing in Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister.
The latter joined in a £35 million switch from Brighton after an excellent campaign with the Seagulls in 2022/23.
Mac Allister is a World Cup winner in his own right but Klopp admits that he has surpassed all hopes Liverpool had for him following a series of impressive displays in the middle of the park.
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"Alexis is exactly the player I hoped he would be; super-influential, super-smart, great guy. [He] loves playing for Liverpool as well, which is really important,” Klopp said in a press conference ahead of Mac Allister coming against his former employers on Sunday.
“He’s a rhythm-giver, he’s a difference-maker, [he] can control moments of the game.
"[He is] always there, always involved, nothing is too much for him, he’s really a top, top, top player. But we had that sense when we signed him and he fulfilled all our expectations and more.”
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Mac Allister has made 34 appearances in all competitions, scoring five times and registering six assists.
But while he's fitted in superbly, he did have to change one of his pre-match habits following comments from Mo Salah.
It revolved around Mac Allister warming up with pants rather than shorts.
"When I was at Brighton I used to wear trousers, and then I came here," Mac Allister said.
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"I remember against Sheffield United we went out to do the warm-up and I was wearing a hat and trousers and Mo told me, 'What are you doing? Why would you wear that?', so since that day I have never worn trousers again. Only because of Mo."
Topics: Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool
Josh Lawless