Brighton midfielder Adam Lallana has hailed departing teammate Alexis Mac Allister.
The Argentina midfielder is set to join Lallana's former club Liverpool.
Speaking to Graham Hunter on The Big Interview podcast in January, Lallana said: "Alexis, what a special player and a special, special person. It took him a little time to settle. Learning the language. His English is incredible now and he's picked it up. He's a player that is so pure in how he plays. The way he lends the football, he uses others. There's no selfishness at all in the way he plays.
"It was so special watching him during the World Cup. Not playing to begin with and then him getting used; proving himself; and then playing so well that there's no way this guy doesn't play; and then at the end to see Messi looking for him. Like Messi was looking for him to link, to play.
"Alexis' role was to almost mirror where Messi was. Whether Messi was deep, he would take high positions. If Messi was high, he would drop. That just shows how much he understands - his football intelligence. Ok, he's not the quickest or the strongest but up here [points to his head] he's like [Luka] Modric. He's not the quickest or the strongest, but he's so smart. He knows that the football is faster than anyone, [or] anything."
He added: "He had to battle tough moments here [Brighton] in the beginning. Coming over in lockdown; adapting to the culture and the language. He's a very introverted, shy guy. I always went out of my way to make sure he was ok because I know he was such a wonderful person. He just needed time. Sometimes you just need time to adapt to your surroundings: the sh**** weather, Brighton, the language, the league, the relentlessness of the league.
"The reception he got here from everyone when he came back [from winning the World Cup] was incredible."
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