Alexis Mac Allister admits that returning to Argentina before ending his football career is something he still plans to do. The Liverpool star began his career at Argentinos Juniors before leaving the club to join Brighton & Hove Albion in 2019, but enjoyed loan spells at his boyhood club and Boca Juniors prior to making his debut for the Seagulls.

After four years in the seaside town, the 26-year-old secured a £35million transfer to the Premier League giants as one of Jurgen Klopp's last signings in the summer of 2023. The midfielder has been an overwhelming success since his move to Anfield and continues to play a starring role under Arne Slot.

With Liverpool top of the Premier League and among the favourites to win the Champions League, Mac Allister has been an influential figure in the team's engine room with fans certainly hoping he remains at the club for the foreseeable future.

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As is the usual with South American players, a few of Mac Allister's World Cup winning team-mates, including Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel, have returned home to Argentina to finish their playing careers.

It's a move Mac Allister admits he'd "love" to do in his latter years but added that there are extenuating circumstances about making a decision of that magnitude.

"Every Argentine player thinks about returning home," he said in an interview with La Media Inglesa. "Then there are cases where one starts to think more about family, security or how the country is. These are personal decisions.

"I would love to return to my country, I always say it, it is a country that I love. Beyond the bad things we have, we have many good things. I hope I can return at some point, but it will be in the future."

Having played under Argentina national team boss Lionel Scaloni for the entirety of his international career, Mac Allister showered the manager with praise, claiming he had the ultimate impact on his career blossoming.

"The one who changed my career was Scaloni because he had the balls to give me a place," he said. The midfielder was chosen to start against Mexico at the 2022 World Cup after their shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in what was a must-win game for La Albiceleste.

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"We were in a win-or-win situation, and he still had the courage to say, ‘let's put Alexis, who is 21 years old and has never played in a World Cup match’. I will always thank him for that. Then you have to perform on the pitch, which is the hardest part," he recalled.

Liverpool shouldn't worry about losing Mac Allister yet, though. He is contracted at Anfield until 2028 and remains an integral part of the team.

Mac Allister is expected to be involved on Wednesday night for the final ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. A win for the Reds over David Moyes' Everton would see them move nine points clear of injury-plagued Arsenal at the top of the table with just 14 games remaining.