Mac Allister names Trent Alexander-Arnold as best passer he has seen | OneFootball

Mac Allister hails Trent Alexander-Arnold as Liverpool adapt to life without him

Liverpool’s Premier League title defence has a different complexion this season. For the first time since 2016, they are doing so without Trent Alexander-Arnold, a player whose departure to Real Madrid still lingers heavily over Anfield.

His move to Spain, while understandable in ambition, fractured the bond between player and fans, a bond built across years of loyalty and brilliance. Yet, as Alexis Mac Allister reminded the footballing world at the recent PFA awards, Alexander-Arnold’s talent remains impossible to ignore.

Mac Allister’s verdict on Alexander-Arnold’s passing

When asked to name the finest passer he has ever played alongside, Mac Allister needed no time to deliberate.“Trent,” he said. A single word, emphatic and revealing.

It was a statement that cuts through the noise of criticism that often surrounded Alexander-Arnold’s defending. His positioning, his recovery pace, his vulnerabilities in one-on-one duels — all dissected endlessly. Yet his distribution was always a weapon few could match.

Statistics strengthen Mac Allister’s point. Alexander-Arnold remains the most prolific assisting defender in Premier League history with 64. Andy Robertson, forever his competitive foil, sits just four behind, a rivalry that underpinned Liverpool’s dominance under Jürgen Klopp.

Frimpong’s contrasting approach

To fill that void, Jeremie Frimpong has been entrusted with a new role on the right. His strengths differ — less about threading impossible passes, more about pace and relentless forward runs. Overlaps with Mohamed Salah aim to unsettle defences through movement rather than vision.

Liverpool, then, are not searching for a replica. Instead, they are reshaping their right flank. Frimpong may thrive, but Mac Allister’s words at the PFA awards underline an uncomfortable truth: players like Trent Alexander-Arnold cannot truly be replaced.