Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes Alexis Mac Allister has settled quicker than expected at the club.
While Klopp does not believe there are any limits to what the Argentine can achieve, he expected a bedding in period.
Instead, Mac Allister has been a revelation in the middle of the park for the Reds.
Speaking to reporters, Klopp stated: “I had no limits for him, I didn't want to limit him, I knew it was a player I desperately wanted. Thank God we got him. Everything he learned at Brighton was super-useful but then it's a new environment, slightly different role. How he adapted to that, you never know. Not from a footballing point of view, it's more like character because there were a lot of discussions: can he play the six and these kind of things. It sounds like it was five years ago but it was only a few months ago people had these kind of discussions and I got asked the question quite frequently. These things always help, if you play a little bit out of your comfort zone it always helps.
“We all know the eight is his best position but he can play the six anyway. I'm absolutely happy. We had talks before when we signed him, and after them I was super-positive that he's a fantastic boy. But you see that then only when he is here. He is in the middle of the group, he is obviously the best English speaker of our Spanish faction. That's great as well. They sit together on the table. If you would make a picture of that – and Ali [Alisson Becker] on top of that on the table usually – and then you go to the Copa America, it would be a funny picture how they treat each other then! Just a great player. Fantastic footballer, super-important for us."
He then added on the Argentine's connection with Mhamed Salah: “After the game [on Sunday], somebody told me that Mo obviously ordered an assist… but Mo is doing that probably on Monday with everybody in the squad! I'm pretty sure he tells everybody, 'If you don't know where to pass the ball, give it to me'! There's no specific partnership, I think the most assists for Mo probably is Darwin [Nunez]. We need them all, we need them all in their best shape.
“What I loved about this goal specifically [was] how we used the formation, how everybody was pretty much in a perfect position and then in the end things can work out like that. The pass from Dom [Szoboszlai] to Macca was already exceptional and then the next pass is only possible because Mo arrives there, because in that moment Dom is on the right wing, Conor [Bradley] is in the half-space, so it's exactly like it should be, especially against man-orientated teams. It was in the end difficult to defend and very well played, that's the most important. There will be other moments when Macca has to pass the ball to another striker or to another player and hopefully he finds them then as well. Partnerships on the pitch are very important. Usually I enjoy partnerships with three because that makes more sense in football than it's only two. We are in the position we are because the boys played really well together, and that's what we need in the next hopefully 14 games as well."
