Alexis Mac Allister thriving 'like Declan Rice' in advanced role for Liverpool, says Ally McCoist

Alexis Mac Allister is thriving in an advanced role in the Liverpool midfield thanks to the return of Wataru Endo, in similar fashion to Declan Rice's position at Arsenal, according to TNT Sports pundits Ally McCoist and Peter Crouch.

The Argentina international World Cup winner won and scored a penalty to put The Reds in front against Sparta Prague in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 clash, live on TNT Sports, on Thursday.

Mac Allister also set up Liverpool's late winner for Darwin Nunez away to Nottingham Forest on Saturday to keep Jurgen Klopp's men top of the Premier League heading into Sunday's huge clash against Manchester City.

After joining from Brighton in the summer, Mac Allister was often deployed as the deepest-lying player in Klopp's midfield early in the season after Liverpool failed in a bid to reunite him with former Seagulls team-mate Moises Caicedo.

However, Endo has since established himself as Klopp's holding midfielder, either side of his spell away representing Japan at the Asian Cup.

"It’s really evident he is getting further forward up the pitch," said McCoist. "He’s been allowed to do that by Endo sitting a bit deeper, like Declan Rice the last couple of weeks, he’s been playing further forward and benefiting from it."

McCoist praised Mac Allister's willingness to play wherever Klopp deemed fit, but claimed his manager's praise for his assist against Forest may have been over the top.

"He’s been top class, attitude to play was great," added McCoist. "I'm going to stick my neck out on the table right now and say the cross against Forest to win the game was okay....It’s a great ball into a dangerous area for someone to attack."

Crouch believes Mac Allister is now performing the role Liverpool had in mind when they activated a £35 million release clause in June.

"At Brighton he had a lot more licence to get forward," said Crouch. "I think it’s just helped him so much he’s [Endo] slotted into that position just in front of the back four where Alexis was playing at the start of the season. Now we’re seeing the best of him, why he was bought.

"He’s creative, he’s got a bit more licence to get into the box, scoring goals, creating goals and I think Endo’s been a huge help for him."

Mac Allister has already had his first taste of silverware in a Liverpool shirt in winning the League Cup last month. But he is hungry for much more in his debut season at Anfield.

Liverpool remain on course to send Klopp off in style with a quadruple as they are also into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, where they will face Manchester United.

“We said we want to make this year something special and we are still there," said Mac Allister.

“It’s still a long way to go but we already won one title and we are top of the Premier League, and the FA Cup and Europa League are definitely very important tournaments and we will do our best to win all of them."

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.