Alexis Mac Allister gives Richard Hughes ANOTHER headache | OneFootball

Liverpool have an imperious midfield and it's exciting to watch the group play with each other.

The trio of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch that were essential to our success last season, winning the Premier League title with a 10 point cushion, has been built upon.

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Florian Wirtz fits both the age profile and the tactical profile of Arne Slot's side, while giving the team a whole new dynamic with added creativity and goal contributions from the heart of the engine room.

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His arrive can only really be looked at as a good thing and you feel the squad now finally has the depth it needs to perform at consistently high levels, eliminating an inevitable end of season drop off.

But the Reds will start the season without everyone firing on all cylinders and it's a little concerning.

Alexis Mac Allister still hasn't recovered yet

Of course, it shouldn't be suggested that the Argentine will be involved in any transfer business throughout the remainder of the summer. Eventually things will turn around for him - although Richard Hughes will note that the central midfielder isn't quite up and running yet, so a potential midfield target for next summer's window might be considered, if things don't start to change.

But let me explain a little more about where I'm coming from.

Last season, Mac Allister was probably Liverpool's best midfielder. Gravenberch took the Young Player of the Season award and Mohamed Salah was recognised for the senior accolade, but no one was under the impression that Mac Allister couldn't have also been nominated himself.

The partnership he developed with Gravenberch in a double-pivot was a sight to behold and towards the end of the season, you could tell that he was flagging after such an intense football calendar.

Slot recognised this and once Liverpool had played Arsenal on May 11, the Argentine was rested until the offseason began. He was absent from the squads for Brighton (A) and Crystal Palace (H).

At that point the team results didn't matter, the title was won. Mac Allister's fitness was paramount.

However, he was absent from the pre-season fixtures against Preston and AC Milan, and played limited roles against Yokohama FM and Athletic Club. Furthermore, he was given just 19 minutes in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace. It's clear that something is holding him back.

A few days ago, Arne Slot gave an update on his fitness and suggested that he had picked up an injury, although the specific nature of his problem has yet to be officially reported by the club.

The head coach said: "He was out for two months, I think, or longer because we didn't play him in the last four games of the season. He trained with us since a week now, played 30 minutes, 45 minutes.

"So that's not a situation where you would start a player [and] play him for 90 minutes. Starting is possible, but definitely not for 90 minutes."

We're now left with a bit of a mystery as to what happens when Bournemouth travel to Anfield on Friday to kick off the Premier League season, and an unavailable Mac Allister is a significant loss.

Eventually, you hope that he will return to his usual self and Slot will then have far more options in midfield to utilise than he has now. Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones appear to be the chosen two playing behind Florian Wirtz for the foreseeable, although that will likely change moving forward.

But it's worth keeping an eye on Mac Allister, because something still doesn't feel right and if he's hampered throughout the campaign, then Richard Hughes will soon have a headache on his hands, finding someone out there in the transfer market who can help to supplement his role in the side.