Gary Lineker suggests there’s a Liverpool player who strikes the ball better than Trent Alexander-Arnold

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Liverpool are set to go toe-to-toe with Real Madrid, the kings of Europe, at Anfield on Wednesday.

The Reds have had bad time of things against Real in recent years and will be desperate to put things right this time around.

But it hasn’t just been on the pitch where Liverpool have been struggling to fend off the European champions.

With his contract winding down, it has been impossible to escape chatter that Trent Alexander-Arnold is joining Real Madrid at the end of the season.

If Liverpool do lose Alexander-Arnold, they’ll be depriving themselves of a player who has a claim to be the cleanest ball-striker on the planet.

According to Gary Lineker, however, there is already a ready made successor to that crown within the Liverpool squad.

Gary Lineker hails Alexis Mac Allister technique

Not many players can hit a ball like Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool academy graduate is technically sensational from any situation.

His ability to pick out a pass from anywhere will undoubtedly be the thing Liverpool miss most if Trent is to depart next summer.

Asked on The Rest Is Football podcast to name the player with the best ‘ball-striking ability’ in the Premier League, though, Lineker threw the slightly surprise name of Alexis Mac Allister into the mix.

“I tell you who strikes it sweetly when he hits it, Mac Allister,” said the former England striker.

READ MORE: Real Madrid keeping an eye on ‘outstanding’ Liverpool player as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold

“Oh yes, great shout Gaz!” agreed Micah Richards, before inevitably bringing Alexander-Arnold into the conversation, too.

“Trent, Trent strikes the ball!” screamed the former Man City man.

“Trent, sweet as a nut!” Lineker chimed back. “Effortless!” hailed Richards.

Alexis Mac Allister rightly in the conversation

Just like Alexander-Arnold, Mac Allister has been linked with Real Madrid, too.

The Argentine has really kicked on since joining Liverpool in 2023 and now looks like an elite level midfielder.

Owing to Mac Allister playing a little deeper than he might perhaps like for much of his Reds career so far, we haven’t seen his ball-striking in terms of shots at goal all that much.

Nevertheless, he has still buried terrific goals against Fulham and Sheffield United to underline Lineker’s point.

But even without the shots on goal, Mac Allister is an unbelievably technical footballer. Whatever pass the situation on the pitch calls for, he can deliver it.

The 25-year-old may have been a slightly surprise name for Lineker to mention given the other options out there, but we think he absolutely belongs in this conversation.