Liverpool fans of a certain vintage will thoroughly enjoy the new nickname Jurgen Klopp has given to Alexis Mac Allister.
The Argentina midfielder became the Reds’ first signing of the summer when he moved from Brighton last month, with the 24-year-old getting an introduction to the AXA Training Centre as he commenced pre-season preparations this week.
His surname is almost identical of that of a former player at Anfield from the early 2000s – it could only be Gary McAllister, of course!
While the Scotsman was at Liverpool a good decade-and-a-half before Klopp’s arrival at the club, the German has shown he clearly knows plenty about the Reds’ history when conferring a new moniker on Mac Allister.
Speaking to LFC’s official website, the 56-year-old said: “I was immediately thinking about nicknames and I thought it would be a great nickname for Alexis… Gary!”
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McAllister only spent two seasons at Liverpool and came on a free transfer (BBC) but made a massive impression, winning five trophies with the Reds, scoring a sensational last-minute Mersey derby winner and producing a masterclass in the epic 2001 UEFA Cup final against Alaves.
We hope that Mac Allister will spend a lot more than two years with us (his contract runs until 2028), and if he can replicate some of the Scot’s heroics during his time at Anfield, the Argentine will be every bit as adored as the 58-year-old continues to be more than two decades on from his spell with the club.
The UEFA Cup has long since been rebranded and reformatted as the Europa League, although the 24-year-old may get to score in the final of that competition next May should LFC reach the decider in Dublin, a city where the ex-Brighton star has ancestral roots.
We can’t wait to see what the man who Klopp affectionately calls ‘Gary’ can produce in the iconic red shirt over the next few years!
Does Klopp not realise what Gary’s are on Merseyside?