Jurgen Klopp has explained how Alexis Mac Allister has been ‘super helpful’ behind the scenes since joining Liverpool in the summer.
The Argentine’s arrival from Brighton took the Reds’ South American contingent to four (along with Alisson Becker, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez), and having played in the UK for nearly four years, the 2022 World Cup winner is now very fluent in English.
The language barrier was something with which the Uruguayan had room for improvement in his first year at Anfield last season, but the manager explained how the number 9’s fellow Spanish speaker is providing a tremendous help with his translation efforts.
Speaking to the press on Friday morning (via Liverpool FC on YouTube), Klopp outlined: “We have an extra on-field [outfield] player.
“So far it was always Ali the translator [for Nunez] if you want, but now we have Macca and they are really close with each other and Macca is a super smart footballer. If I forget something to tell him, Macca tells him anyway.
“Strikers need to know where to go when midfielders have the ball. That obviously depends on the midfielders and that’s the stuff you talk to players about. The players talk to each other as well about it and Macca there is super helpful. Lucho’s English is getting better and they are very close as well.”
When overseas players first come to England, it’s understandable that learning the language could be one of the biggest challenges, among the other facets of adaptation to life in the UK.
It’s therefore brilliant to hear of Mac Allister doing his bit behind the scenes to help the likes of Nunez and Diaz gain an even better understanding with their teammates so that they combine intuitively on matchday.
You can view Klopp’s comments below (from 12:20), via Liverpool FC on YouTube: