Liverpool can stop “wasting” Mac Allister by finally signing a self-proclaimed Casemiro regen
Glen Johnson has urged Liverpool to re-assign Alexis Mac Allister as he’s not a natural holding midfielder.
The 24-year-old World Cup winner joined the Reds from Brighton for a reported £35m in the summer. Mac Allister subsequently penned a five-year contract and has to date made ten Premier League appearances with all but one coming in the defensive midfield role.
Johnson, who in the past represented Liverpool, feels the Argentine is being wasted but nevertheless commended his performances.
“I kind of feel sorry for Mac Allister a little bit,” he told compare.bet.
“He’s obviously been asked to do something he’s not completely comfortable with and he’s doing a job for the team. It’s great that he’s willing to do that, but to be title contenders you can’t have too many players playing out of position and I don’t think he was signed to play that role, it’s just what they need at the moment from him. I certainly think he’s a better player going forward and he’s got too much attacking ability that’s being wasted by sitting deep and breaking the game up. He’s showing great character by sacrificing himself for the benefit of the team, but they need someone more natural in that position if they want to challenge for the title.”
Johnson added: “The holding midfield role is such an important position in modern football.
“For me, in order to win the league, you need a top goalkeeper and a top holding midfielder. The full-backs can only get forward and help attacks if they trust their no.6 to cover for them, the centre-backs can only step up and defend aggressively if they have faith in their holding midfielder. That player is so important to the team, and particularly in Klopp’s system and Liverpool need to bring in a top player that they can rely on in that position.”
Meet the self-proclaimed Casemiro regen wanted by Man Utd and Liverpool
During the summer Liverpool was linked with Fluminense midfielder Andre but nothing came to fruition with the Brazilian outfit determined to keep hold as they bid to win their first Copa Libertadores crown.
The 22-year-old, who has played more successful passes into the final third in the 2023 Brazilian Serie A, is favourably compared with Manchester United defensive midfielder Casemiro and recently Andre came on for him during Brazil’s stalemate with Venezuela.
Undoubtedly wise beyond his years, Andre — who also ranks in the top 10 for possession win in Brazil’s top division — recognises the comparison but adds he’s far from being the finished article.
“It is very satisfying to be here always competing with the best, especially in the Brazilian team, which has the best (players) in the world,” Andre told Folha de Pernambuco.
“In recent years, Casemiro has been a top one player (in his position) in Europe. Playing in the best competitions. So it’s been a period of a lot of learning. I’m trying to learn a lot from him, from his movements, from his marking too, as he’s the player who most resembles me.”
“The chief executive of Liverpool contacted me directly,” Fluminense’s president Mario Bittencourt is quoted by Caua Tinoco. “And I replied to him: ‘My friend, I don’t sell a player now and I don’t deliver now. If you want to buy now to take in January, we can start talking, or if you want to wait until December and we talk in December.”
Trindade himself admitted there was a big European club that approached him but decided to remain at his boyhood club for now. “It was just something I couldn’t refuse, the club, the league,” he said.
“Every player dreams of playing at such a club. I decided to keep my word and stay. If I’ve accepted that offer, I’d not feel 100% comfortable with myself.”
