- Mac Allister has been a mainstay in Liverpool’s starting XI since his arrival in 2023
- He made him one of the best in the league during a four-year spell at Brighton
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Alexis Mac Allister has claimed his former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is the best manager he has ever worked under.
The World Cup winner praised the ‘crazy’ Italian, under whom he established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and secured a £35m move to Anfield in 2023.
Since arriving on Merseyside, Mac Allister has played for legendary former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp before the German was replaced this summer by Arne Slot, who has had a surprise start to life in the Premier League.
On the international stage, the 25-year-old has claimed both continental and global honors under the tutelage of former Lazio defender Lionel Scaloni. Yet it is De Zerbi who stands out above the rest in the eyes of the versatile midfielder.
‘He’s a crazy guy, he’s Italian. I love him,” Mac Allister said on The Rest is Football podcast. ‘He’s the best manager I’ve ever had.
‘The passion he gives for football is special and his tactical side is great. He makes you feel good.
Alexis Mac Allister has claimed that Roberto De Zerbi is the best manager he has ever worked under
The 25-year-old was brought to Liverpool by legendary former boss Jurgen Klopp in his final season at the club
The midfielder continued to excel in a Reds jersey under the leadership of Arne Slot
“Since the first day I met him, he was great to me and that’s why I said he was the best coach.”
Mac Allister made his Premier League debut from Graham Potter in July 2020, having returned from a loan spell at Boca Juniors, where he spent a short time after being signed from the Seagulls in 2019.
The south coast won plaudits for their fearless approach and fluid attacking play in the 2021-22 season, as they finished ninth and recorded wins over Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal.
The following season, Potter was signed by Chelsea and the Seagulls made the inspired decision to recruit former Shakhtar Donetsk and Sassuolo head coach De Zerbi.
His arrival saw the team take another leap forward and claim sixth place, giving the club its first ever qualification for Europe. The core of that squad, which included Mac Alister, Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez, was sold for a big profit in 2023, with De Zerbi moving to Ligue 1 giants Marseille last summer.
Mac Allister recalled his first interaction with Klopp, who brought him to the Reds, revealing that from their first interaction he knew they would do ‘great things’.
“Before I signed for Liverpool I had a phone call with him and since that moment I felt we were going to do great things and I really enjoyed my time with him,” he added.
‘He said there was going to be a change in midfield, he wanted me to be part of that and he compared me to players like Gundogan and that I could be an important player for Liverpool.
‘That was enough to say I had to go there. I was at the time when I won a World Cup just six months ago. I wanted to go to a club where I had the chance to win trophies and I wanted to go to a club where I could feel important.’
The midfielder claimed his first trophy for the Reds in the Carabao Cup last season and was a crucial part of a revamped midfield that helped in the aforementioned challenge for the Premier League title in the German’s final season.
Now under Slot, the Argentinian will be desperate for his side to take advantage of their favorable position at the top of the standings domestically and in Europe.