Arne Slot has explained the reasons behind Alexis Mac Allister's improved Liverpool form amid recent reported transfer interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid
Ian Doyle Chief Liverpool FC Writer and James Findlater Content Editor
08:01, 21 Feb 2026
Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool reacts during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion on February 14, 2026 in Liverpool, England
Alexis Mac Allister has been linked with a sensational move to Manchester United recently(Image: Getty Images)
Arne Slot has identified the factor behind Alexis Mac Allister's recent upturn in form that has sparked fresh transfer speculation surrounding the Liverpool midfielder.
Mac Allister was this week sensationally linked with interest from bitter North West rivals Manchester United, having long been courted for a move to Spain by Real Madrid.
His father Carlos, however, subsequently issued a brief statement declaring the player is only concerned at present about the possibility of a new deal at Anfield as he approaches the final two years of his current contract signed when arriving from Brighton for £35million in the summer of 2023.
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Mac Allister's performance levels declined during the first half of the season as he struggled for fitness after nursing a long-term injury problem, with Slot also highlighting the difficulty in building new partnerships after the squad overhaul during the summer, reports the Liverpool Echo.
"I think it's always a combination of factors, but fitness is a very important one," said Slot, whose side travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday. "I think the moment a player starts to play more and more games, he gets fitter and fitter.
"He's not the only example of that, Dominik Szoboszlai is an example of that. After two-and-a-half years, you cannot compare him any more with the player of two-and-a-half years ago. Mainly the focus is on Hugo (Ekitike) and Florian (Wirtz) and the new ones, but Dom had the same trajectory.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot with midfielder Alexis Mac Allister
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot with midfielder Alexis Mac Allister(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
"The second thing is if you bring in a few new players and a few leave, then you need new connections in the team so that takes a bit of time before everyone is ready, especially if you cannot constantly play with the same team for the reasons I've explained many times.
"They were not fit enough to play every single time, every three days. So that takes then a little bit of time, and if you score a set-piece against Sunderland, then the last half-hour feels nicer than if you concede against Nottingham Forest after half an hour."
Mac Allister suggested earlier this year that Liverpool had "changed too many things" during the summer transfer window, and Slot acknowledges that the time required for new signings to adapt to the Reds' pressing style made it challenging for the Argentine midfielder to showcase his finest form.
"One of the things that hurts you if you are not as fit as we are now is the pressing," said the Reds boss.
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"And if you are more open in pressing - and what I mean by open is not that we conceded 15 counter-attacks, which some pundits try to say, which is not true - but we weren't as effective in our pressing as we were last season, because we were not ready enough yet and that takes a bit of time.
"Now we are much more ready. Even against (Manchester) City, you could see that we could play 45 minutes in the second half, even in the first half there were more signs that we were good, but people maybe didn't really notice.
"That has improved a lot and if that was not on the right level yet, then midfielders and defenders are more exposed, because they play through you, they can bring an extra player into the midfield.
"So the better we press in the first line, the less problems we have over there. But you cannot have the most ball possession in the league if everything was s**t throughout the whole season.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot gestures during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion
Arne Slot and Liverpool are fighting to secure a Champions League place for next season(Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista, Getty Images)
"We were at a good level, we've been very unlucky which I've said 120 times, but we are better now."
Having featured in six of the last seven Premier League fixtures, Mac Allister will be eager to hold onto his midfield berth, though Ryan Gravenberch is pressing for a return after being left on the bench during last weekend's FA Cup victory over Brighton.
Hugo Ekitike is also set to come back into the attack, whilst Joe Gomez could be called upon to cover at right-back, having returned from a hip injury with back-to-back substitute appearances.
Liverpool will be looking to exact revenge for a stunning 3-0 home defeat earlier this campaign when they make the trip to Forest, a ground where they have claimed just one league victory in 42 years.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 22: Murillo of Nottingham Forest scores his team's first goal past Alisson Becker of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Anfield on November 22, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool is yet to beat Nottingham Forest under Arne Slot(Image: Getty Images)
Yet when pressed on whether that November drubbing represented the season's lowest ebb, Slot responded: "We had a few. Burnley felt really, really tough, the 1-1. City felt really hard as well because we played so well. We deserved so much more.
"Which other ones did we have? The first one (defeat) is always difficult, Palace away. Leeds was really tough, Bournemouth was really tough, all because it was in the last second of the games. Unbelievable.
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"So sometimes being unlucky is hard, sometimes not getting what you deserve is hard. And we've hardly lost a game of football where you can accept, okay, this one is acceptable. Maybe City away was probably the only one.
"That wasn't nice to experience, but was what the one that was most deserved for us to lose."