Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister was in no rush to depart the pitch after the draw against his old side Brighton Hove Albion yesterday.

That’s detailed in a report from The Athletic which pointed out Mac Allister as the last player to leave the pitch following full-time.

Instead, Mac Allister was greeting his old teammates who were queuing up to embrace him.

Moreover, Roberto De Zerbi also sought out his former player and then encouraged the home fans to show their appreciation.

Of course, during his return to Brighton, Mac Allister would have been hoping for a better performance for Liverpool.

The Argentinian played his part in a sloppy opening goal to concede for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

And Mac Allister never really looked at home as a midfield pivot in the performance.

Although they ended up signing Wataru Endo, Liverpool have mainly approached games without a typical number six this season.

Mac Allister has often been deployed in that role, but many fans don’t see it as his best.

Whilst he did play in a deeper role for Brighton at times, he did have the impressive Moises Caicedo alongside him.

A player Liverpool fans will be well acquainted with.

Mac Allister had a tough day for Liverpool back at Brighton

Of course, there were still positives to Mac Allister’s performance, but those were marred by his part in a key error.

And Liverpool fans may wonder if they’ll live to regret not signing a world-class defensive midfielder this summer – especially given

how hard they tried.

Gary Neville has pointed out that he thinks Liverpool would have been title challengers were they the side that signed Declan Rice this summer.

And whilst they weren’t necessarily linked, it would have been an astute move.

It would be a surprise if Liverpool bought Mac Allister from Brighton with the intention to play him so deep in the midfield.

Perhaps Klopp is just being pragmatic with the options he has.

But there does seem to be the feeling of ‘what if’ around Liverpool’s failed pursuit of some world-class options.