New Liverpool signing Alexis Mac Allister has thanked Adam Lallana for all his help during their time together at Brighton.
Lallana spent three years on the South Coast with Mac Allister, taking the Argentine under his wing in that time. With Alexis now leaving to join Lallana’s former club, the ex-Red gave him a rousing send-off on Instagram.
“Elite attitude, massive contribution and a superb person,” wrote the 35-year-old. “Gutted to see you go but been a privilege to play alongside you. Good luck for your new adventure. YNWA.”
“What a player and what a guy you are!” Mac Allister replied. “Thank you for what you’ve done for me, you were a big part of my success. All the best for the future!”
Still a favourite at Anfield despite his slightly diminished Liverpool career, Mac Allister will do well to match what Lallana achieved on Merseyside. Two top chaps.
Mac Allister picking up where Lallana left off
In many respects, Mac Allister and Lallana are similar kinds of players. Hard-working, press resistant but also excellent technically.
The one feather Alexis has in his cap is that he appears to be much less injury-prone than Liverpool’s former No.20.
It wasn’t just injuries that held Lallana back at Anfield, but they played a big part. There was a time when the former England man was one of Jurgen Klopp’s key players. Had he stayed fit for longer, perhaps he’d have carried that on.
Instead, a lengthy problem during 2017/18 saw the team rather move on in his absence. For the next two seasons, Lallana barely got a look in.
But that didn’t stop him from asserting his influence. As Mac Allister’s message to him shows, Lallana is very valuable as a mentor for his younger teammates. It was that professionalism and application that Klopp valued above all from the Brighton player.
If Alexis has managed to glean some of that from him during their time together, it will serve him well at Anfield. It will also serve him well to have his new captain as a best mate of Lallana.
Equally as influential to younger players around the squad, Jordan Henderson will no doubt pick up where his old pal left off.
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