Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister celebrated the 2025 Premier League title under Arne Slot with tears on the bench, having scored in a match that registered 1.74 on the Richter scale. Yet the 2025-26 season proved his poorest since arriving from Brighton for £35m in 2023, hampered by early injuries. Now starring for Argentina at the World Cup, the 27-year-old has played 539 minutes, winning 31 duels and applying high pressure 208 times — numbers ranking among the tournament's best.

New head coach Andoni Iraola, known for demanding all-action midfielders in his high-press system, will welcome Mac Allister's versatility across number eight and double pivot roles. However, FIFA's three-week post-tournament rest means he may miss the Premier League's opening weeks. Contract talks remain absent despite two years left on his deal, unlike teammates Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch who are negotiating extensions.

Mac Allister's bond with former boss Jürgen Klopp was familial; he called Slot the "perfect bridge." With a World Cup, Copa America, and Premier League title already won — plus 12 World Cup wins from 12 appearances — the semi-final against England offers Iraola the clearest glimpse of his midfield anchor's enduring class.