Alexis Mac Allister completed his first full 90 minutes since April during Argentina’s 1-0 defeat to Ecuador, despite manager Lionel Scaloni admitting that Liverpool’s No. 10 is not yet “100 percent fit.”
The midfielder endured a disrupted pre-season after carrying an injury from the end of last campaign and has managed just 133 of Liverpool’s 270 available Premier League minutes so far.
Despite this, he was called up by Argentina, sitting out their first game before starting and completing the full match against Ecuador overnight.
Scaloni revealed before the game that Mac Allister was still short of full fitness, and the South American press was critical of his performance.
BolaVIP described the 26-year-old as looking “physically diminished,” handing him a four-out-of-ten rating, while Diario Ole noted he “wasn’t convincing and didn’t make an impact on the game.”
Deployed in an advanced midfield role behind striker Lautaro Martínez, Mac Allister struggled to influence proceedings in attack.
That said, his display was not without industry.
According to FotMob, he made the joint-most tackles (four), the most recoveries (eight), and won the second-most duels (seven) of any Argentina player on the pitch.
Having not completed a full match since Liverpool’s trip to Leicester in April, it is understandable that Mac Allister is still building sharpness.
Encouragingly for Liverpool, he came through unscathed from what was a tense affair that saw a player sent off for each side, while he also clashed with Piero Hincapié during the contest.
With Arne Slot’s side facing seven games in 21 days across three competitions, squad rotation will be vital.
Mac Allister’s international minutes may prove useful for building his rhythm, though Liverpool may look to manage him carefully.
The Argentine will be among the last to report back to training on Thursday, alongside Alisson and Wataru Endo.
His involvement against Burnley could hinge on whether Slot opts to keep him fresh for the midweek clash with Atletico Madrid.
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