Alexis Mac Allister has previously named Roberto De Zerbi as the finest manager he has ever worked under, placing the Italian ahead of Liverpool bosses Arne Slot and Jurgen Klopp. Mac Allister joined the Reds in the summer of 2023 from Brighton, where he had been since 2019.

The midfielder spent one campaign under Klopp at Anfield before the German brought his illustrious reign to a close at the conclusion of the 2023/24 season. Slot took over the reins, steering the Reds to an emphatic Premier League title triumph in his debut campaign, which also represented Mac Allister's maiden trophy on English soil.

However, the World Cup winner had previously maintained it was his final boss at Brighton, De Zerbi, who surpassed all the managers he has played under.

The Italian, currently at Marseille, was instrumental in Mac Allister's development, something the midfielder clearly remembers fondly.

Speaking to Gary Lineker on The Rest is Football in December 2024, he said: "He's a crazy guy but I love him. I think he is the best manager I've ever had."

A taken-aback Lineker replied: "Really? You've got Klopp and Slot in there."

Asked what set De Zerbi apart, Mac Allister explained: "It's the passion he gives for football. That's special. Then it's his ideas, the tactical side is amazing.

"He makes you feel good in the team. Since the first day I met him, he was amazing with me, that's why I said he was the best coach."

Mac Allister departed Brighton a year before De Zerbi's abrupt departure at the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign.

His third campaign at Anfield has proved challenging thus far, with him and his teammates being jeered by their own fans after they were thrashed by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

The match represented the ninth loss in 12 fixtures under Slot this term, the club's poorest sequence of results for over seven decades and their third consecutive match losing by a three-goal difference.

This alarming spell of form and the nature of their losses has created a scenario that seemed impossible merely two months earlier, with Slot now facing pressure to produce results immediately.