Graeme Souness says ace Arne Slot ‘never speaks to’ is Liverpool POTY over Salah
Graeme Souness has been singing praises of Liverpool amid their remarkable run in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, but has a different take on who their player of the year is.
Mohamed Salah is a favourite to win the Ballon d’Or this year, having bagged 30 goals and 22 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool this season.
One would, therefore, expect the 32-year-old to be named the Reds’ men’s player of the season without an iota of doubt in June.
However, Souness has revealed that he prefers another player for the accolade and it is not Virgil van Dijk either.
Souness wowed by ‘unruffled’ Alexis Mac Allister
Souness said that it is easy to pick out Salah for his goal contributions, Luis Diaz for his energy in attack and Van Dijk for his presence at the back, but admitted that he has a bigger admiration for Alexis Mac Allister.
The Reds icon icon revealed that he would choose Mac Allister over Salah, having been impressed by his performances this season, and pointed out how the midfielder was “unruffled” after a challenge from Bruno Guimaraes in the 2-0 win against Newcastle at Anfield on Wednesday, 26 February.
| Minutes | Goals | Accurate Passes | Touches | Recoveries | Duels |
| 87 | 1 | 33/38 (87%) | 50 | 3 | 3/11 |
Waxing lyrical about Mac Allister’s Argentinian genes, Souness added that he is so good that Arne Slot may never feel the need to give him instructions.
“It is easy to pinpoint Mo Salah for his creativity and goals, to hail Luis Diaz for his pace and energy or to laud Virgil van Dijk for his elegance and composure, but the one Liverpool player that I’d pick, even above those this year, would be Alexis Mac Allister”, Souness wrote on the Mail (28 February).
“I’ve long believed that the best footballers come from Argentina. Maybe it’s something to do with the migration of so many Italians there, combined with the natural Latin flair and aggression but, whatever the ingredients, they make for excellent footballers and this guy is my current favourite.
“It’s no wonder his teammates used to rib him about being Jurgen Klopp’s ‘son’. It would be difficult for any manager not to favour him.
“He looks like he has the best of attitudes. Even when Bruno Guimaraes left one on him at Anfield the other night, his unruffled reaction says everything about him.
“I bet the manager never has to speak to him. He is brave, full of endeavour and has a fantastic appetite for doing the hard yards. I like him best when he is pushing further forward making mischief. I’m an enormous fan.”
Liverpool on course for Premier League glory
Liverpool are not in action this FA Cup weekend as they were knocked out of the competition by Plymouth Argyle on 9 February.
Slot and Co will use the time to prepare for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 encounter with Paris Saint-Germain instead, with the first leg scheduled in France on Wednesday, 5 March.
The Merseyside-based club will also have the opportunity to clinch their first trophy of the season this month when they lock horns with Newcastle in the EFL Cup final on the 16th.
Meanwhile, they are also on course for Premier League glory as they sit 13 points above second-placed Arsenal, although the Gunners have a game in hand.
With five goals and four assists to his name from 38 games, there is no doubt that Mac Allister has been an unsung hero for the Anfield outfit.