Lineker shocked as Liverpool star names better manager than Klopp, Slot – ‘He’s a crazy guy’
Gary Lineker was taken aback as Alexis Mac Allister snubbed both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot when naming “the best manager I’ve had”.
Mac Allister moved to Liverpool from Brighton in a £35m deal in the summer of 2023, working under Klopp for a season before the club hero was replaced by Arne Slot in the summer.
The World Cup winner is excelling under Slot as he did under Klopp last term but claimed neither is the best manager he’s worked under, with that honour going to Roberto De Zerbi, who coached Mac Allister at Brighton before leaving the club at the end of last season and taking charge of Marseille.
Talking to Gary Lineker on The Rest is Football podcast, he said of De Zerbi: “He’s a crazy guy but I love him. I think he is the best manager I’ve ever had.”
A surprised Lineker replied: “Really? You’ve got Klopp and Slot in there.”
Asked what makes De Zerbi so brilliant, Mac Allister said: “It’s the passion he gives for football. That’s special. Then it’s his ideas, the tactical side is amazing.
“He makes yourself 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.”
Asked about his relationship with the Brighton fans, Mac Allister said: “I go back twice with Liverpool and they’ve always been amazing with me. They know the love I have for them. It’s a really special place for me.”
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Liverpool have ben in stunning form in Slot’s first season, currently top of the Champions League table having won every game and top of the Premier League having dropped just seven points all season.
But there remains an unease at the club thanks to the doubt over the futures of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are all out of contract at the end of the season.
Asked by Gary Lineker whether the players are talking about this topic, Mac Allister said: “Of course there’s a lot of of jokes let’s say.
“But at the end, it’s a personal thing and we are going to respect the club and them in whatever decision they make.
“Of course we want them to stay with us but as I say, it’s a personal decision and I would never get there.”
Jamie Carragher wasn’t impressed by Salah’s “selfish” interview over the contract ordeal last month and now claims the Egyptian should be bottom of the three in Liverpool’s list of priorities.
