Alexis Mac Allister's MOTHER's comments put midfielder on collision course with Liverpool | OneFootball

Liverpool fans feared the worst when Alexis Mac Allister was taken at half-time against Crystal Palace right before the international break.

These fears were only exacerbated when Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni reported that the midfielder wasn’t training with the rest of the national side and then missed out on their game with Venezuela.

He did then return to play just over an hour against Bolivia, leaving Reds to breathe a big sigh of relief.

There was a bit of confusion, then, when Curtis Jones was named in his place for yesterday’s game against Chelsea.

Head coach Arne Slot had previously explained that Mac Allister was a 'a bit ill' on the flight back, but in facing such a tough opponent he would surely not have changed his starting XI if he didn't absolutely need to.

The silver lining was that Curtis Jones was the best player on the pitch against Chelsea, slotting into Mac Allister’s inside-left midfield space and even bagging himself a goal for his troubles. Mac Allister replaced him in the 82nd minute, bringing about even more questions as to why the decision was made.

Why was Mac Allister left out against Chelsea?

But comments made by his mother, Silvina Riela, in an interview for Argentinian new channel C5N shed some light.

“Recently, Liverpool didn't want him to travel because he had a minor discomfort, but he insisted on coming,” explained Silvina. “He spoke with the coach to come because, as I see it, it's like he's coming to see his friends here. It's like he's coming to his group here, and he feels it necessary to come.”

This followed her explanation of her son’s love of his national team.

"He's managing the locker room dynamics better now. He's more relaxed, obviously - it's been an adaptation process. But still, there's always that admiration for [Lionel] Messi. There's a group of more experienced players, so yes, he's more at ease. I see him leaving the locker room, doing interviews, signing autographs and all that, so I think he's more integrated with the national team now. He feels more at home.”

When considered, this is an abysmal look for Mac Allister. He defied the club’s wishes to keep him in the country due to an injury, actually played a game, and then subsequently lost his place in the starting XI on his return.

And whilst footballers are human and their desires should absolutely be considered, Argentina have another set of games in under a month from now. He would have been able to see his friends then.

This can be contrasted with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, who both decided to leave their respective national teams last week and return to the AXA Training Centre early.

With games coming thick and fast, including Leipzig on Wednesday night, we will quickly see just how out of favour the Argentinian has become.