Liverpool need to be careful not to allow their continuing contract problems to become a sideshow this season.
Some would argue that their failure to tie three of their biggest stars down with less than a year to go on their deals has already gone too far.
However, while Liverpool keep winning games, talk over the futures of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are still not overwhelming the campaign.
Nevertheless, there will likely come a point where the uncertainty over three such huge mainstays in the Liverpool squad starts to cause unrest amongst the rest of the players.
The trio’s teammates all clearly love playing with each of them and as time passes, it’s easy to see how matters off the pitch could start to affect performances on it.
As things tick on without a resolution in sight, Alexis Mac Allister has broken rank to speak publicly about the situation.
Alexis Mac Allister speaks out on contract issues
Behind Van Dijk, Salah, Alexander-Arnold and perhaps Alisson, Mac Allister has a shout at being Liverpool’s next most important player.
The Argentine has played a part in every single on of the Reds’ 20 fixtures so far this term.
Mac Allister has been linked with Real Madrid in the past, but the World Cup winner seems happy and settled at Anfield and is growing in stature all the time.
Players like Mac Allister want to be – and deserves to be – starring alongside top teammates, though, and it isn’t a reach to say that letting big players go could have a knock-on effect on the happiness of those such as Liverpool’s No.10.
READ MORE: What PSG have discovered about Mo Salah and Liverpool after speaking with his agent
And speaking with SportsCentre via ESPN, Mac Allister has now urged Liverpool to make sure all three are retained.
“Obviously we want to share a lot of years with him, but that’s a personal decision,” he said while speaking about Salah.
“The club has to make a decision and we can’t get involved. Hopefully they can come to an agreement because we want him and Virgil and Trent to continue with us. Hopefully that will be the case.”
Mac Allister singles out Salah
Although Mac Allister clearly wants all three of his teammates to stay with him at Liverpool, the former Brighton man did have some special words for Salah in particular.
Salah has been in electric form of late and Mac Allister hailed what he is continually seeing from the Egyptian off the field, too.
“I think that shows a little bit of who Mo is, his mentality,” he says.
“When you see him every day, he’s a person who works very hard, who is tireless. He’s the first to arrive and the last to leave. Always prepared for whatever may come.
“He carries that to the pitch and he always helps us in decisive moments when big players get tougher, he’s there. That makes us all glad.”
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