Alexis Mac Allister has praised his Liverpool teammate Alexander Isak as “fantastic” after the Swedish striker finally scored in the Premier League. The Argentina international also rubbished speculation that Liverpool’s recent disappointing results are causing concerns about his fitness level this season.
Isak, who joined Liverpool from Newcastle for a record-breaking £125 million on September 1, making him the most expensive player in English football history, scored his first goal for the Reds in a 2-0 win over West Ham at the London Stadium.
The Swedish star’s performances in the Premier League have been disappointing since his move to Anfield, largely due to his lack of pre-season training at Newcastle and the length of his move.
A groin injury suffered during Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in October further hampered Isak’s development and kept him sidelined for nearly a month.
However, Mac Allister expressed his delight at seeing his team-mate score as Liverpool could only secure their fourth win in their last 13 games.
“Yeah, I’m really happy for him,” Mac Allister said. “I think he’s a great player, we all know that. He doesn’t even smile when he scores a goal, so we were joking!”
“He deserves it and I’m really happy. Same with Florian. I think he had a really good game. He played really well. So it’s important that they reach their level.”
“Alex is very quiet. He likes to be alone sometimes. His Spanish is also very good, so he knows I’m just trying to talk to him. But yeah, he’s a quiet guy and we’re all happy to have him here.”
“They (the new players) are really good guys. We all feel the same way about coming out of this situation and we’re all very positive. They’re doing their best. So, yeah, I think they’re really, really good players and everyone likes them.”
“Even last season I said this group is really good. There’s a lot of positivity, but again it’s a tough situation so I understand that people will say different things, but it’s exactly the same for us. We just want to win games and play the football we know. I hope things change in the next few weeks.”
“Winning is always important, especially in this moment. But yeah, this doesn’t mean anything. Just win. And now we have to focus on Wednesday.”
“I hope (the win is a boost). That’s the idea. But to be completely honest, I don’t think we were really the team we wanted today. I think we can do more, especially defensively. But yeah, we need to keep working and right now we’re focused on Wednesday and hopefully we can get a win at home.”
Speaking about his fitness, Mac Allister said: “I think it said a lot about myself and how I feel physically.
“Honestly, I feel good for the first time in a long time and I know when you lose people keep talking and talking about it, but I’m totally fine with it. I feel good mentally and physically. So I’m just going to show it.”
When asked about the performance of Florian Wirths, who won the club’s in-house player of the year award, manager Mac Allister praised: “I think there’s no doubting his quality. What he can do in tight spaces is amazing.”
“And he did that today. Like I said, I think it was a really great performance from him and I hope he continues to do that.”
