Alexis Mac Allister explains his feelings about Moises Caicedo ahead of the ‘complicated’ test.

Alexis Mac Allister spoke ahead of coming face to face with Moises Caicedo at the Copa America. The pair were team-mates at Brighton and could easily link up again at Liverpool.

However, despite a surprise transfer bid of $140m (£110m/€130m), well over the club’s record, Liverpool lost out to Chelsea last summer, heading he drastically towards Wataru Endo. The Blues have increased their bid for Caicedo even more and the player himself has been tipped for a move to Stamford Bridge.

In hindsight, he might think that Anfield would have been the better destination (though it must be said that he is a Chelsea fan since childhood). Liverpool have enjoyed a much better collective campaign and Mac Allister has also fared better than his old colleague, earning widespread plaudits for his consistent performances.

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By the end of the season, Caicedo had settled in at Chelsea and was starting to show why he cost so much – more so than can be said for fellow midfielder Enzo Fernandez. But any revival came too late for the Carabao Cup final, where Mac Allister comprehensively won the midfield battle and Liverpool, aided by his youngsters, claimed a victory that Jurgen Klopp considers among his most special.

Before that, Mac Allister was on the winning side again against Caicedo as the Reds triumphed 4-1 at the end of January. The first meeting between Liverpool and Chelsea on the opening day of last season came too soon for the pair to meet, the Ecuadorian still unannounced following the transfer saga.

So the upcoming Copa America clash between Argentina and Ecuador will be just the third time Mac Allister and Caicedo have met since their days together at Brighton. And the Liverpool man made his feelings clear:

“With Moises I think that was the last time we faced each other,” he told a news conference. “But yes, obviously I’ve always said it and I’m aware of the kind of player he is.

“I know that facing him is complicated: physically very strong, he has quality, he is a very complete player. I have no doubt that today he is one of the key figures for Ecuador.

“So obviously it will be a nice battle, not only individually but as a group and as a team. So let’s wait before a very tough match.”

Liverpool.com says: Mac Allister knows Caicedo’s qualities better than most, so it’s no wonder he anticipates a tough fight. The pair formed an outrageously good midfield pairing for Brighton and it remains a shame it couldn’t be replicated at Liverpool.

You wonder if Caicedo could have settled in quicker at Liverpool, who didn’t suffer from the collective dysfunction that plagued Chelsea. It would certainly have been a shrewd long-term gamble, which no doubt motivated the club to make such an out-of-character offer.

Even so, Liverpool will feel they got the better midfielder from Brighton and certainly got a better deal. Paying less than a third of the price Chelsea paid for Caicedo, he will be regarded as one of the signings of the summer and Mac Allister will no doubt continue to be a central figure under Arne Slot.