Journalist Gaston Edul claimed Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister could miss some games, paving the way for Trent Alexander-Arnold
Gaston Edul confirmed that Alexis Mac Allister could miss some Liverpool games, leaving a defensive midfield role for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Argentine journalist confirmed that Mac Allister has a bad bruise on his knee which needs time for recovery.
Mac Allister has featured as the deepest midfielder for the Red in most of the games this season. However, Klopp has deployed Trent in the midfield during the recent games while putting Joe Gomez as a right-back.
Klopp used Trent as an inverted fullback during the second half of the last season. Trent made full use of his new role and helped in the club’s revival amid their struggles. The 25-year-old has continued playing a similar role while making strong claims for a permanent shift to the midfield.
Liverpool made two huge comebacks in their two Premier League games against Crystal Palace and Fulham. Klopp made critical substitutions which helped the team’s cause, allowing the England international to play as a number six.
Trent’s playmaking ability from the central position allows him to act as a quarterback. He enjoys distribution with the whole 360 degrees available, contrary to the limitation that comes from the right-back spot.
Furthermore, the right-back experience gives him an innate understanding of how fullbacks want defensive midfielders to cover them. As a number six, the 25-year-old showed natural positioning sense, covering spaces and channels between the midfield and the defence.
Writing on social platform X (h/t Liverpool Echo), Edul confirmed the bad bruise, keeping Mac Allister sidelined in some games. He wrote:
“Alexis Mac Allister has a bad bruise on his knee. There is no ligament injury but he could miss some games with Liverpool.”
The Liverpool boss took Mac Allister off in the 57th minute during Liverpool’s 0-2 victory over Sheffield United. The Argentine suffered a cut to his knee during the first half that required stitches but continued to play.
Alexis Mac Allister tiene un golpe fuerte en la rodilla. No hay lesión ligamentaria pero se puede perder algunos partidos con Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/NNnzOE7hY4
— Gastón Edul (@gastonedul) December 11, 2023
The 24-year-old played in his natural position against Sheffield as Wataru Endo took the number six role. However, Endo’s struggling performance in the last game against Palace puts doubt on him starting more Premier League games.
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The Japan captain has struggled to keep up with the pace of the Premier League. However, Endo has been an astute buy and a good rotational player for the number six role. It is still speculative to predict who will start at the number six role in the absence of Mac Allister. Given Trent’s form in midfield, he deserves to play as the primary number-six against historic rivals Manchester United.
