Alexis Mac Allister spoke about the future of the Argentine National Team without Messi: "We need to become even stronger"

The Argentine National Team is preparing to face a new stage after the retirement of Lionel Messi. In this scenario, some of the players who have been under the orders of Lionel Scaloni for several years will have to take on a leading role both on and off the field. One of them is Alexis Mac Allister, who referred to the future of the Albiceleste, acknowledged what the absence of the captain means and supported Nico Paz as one of the great bets for the coming years.

In an interview with Diario AS, the Liverpool midfielder admitted that it is still hard to imagine the team without the Rosario player. "It's going to be strange. We still don't understand that Leo is not going to be with us anymore, and there's a part of us that still wants him to be here. But we understand the situation, that it's a new process and we have to tackle it in the best way. Since the best in the world is not with us today, we need to understand that as a team we have to become even stronger", he expressed.

Mac Allister also emphasized that, although Argentina has players capable of filling the vacant spots, the dimension of Messi is impossible to replace. "There is always a lot of talent in Argentina. The reality is that very good players come out and there will be people who will fill the places of the players who have left. Obviously, Leo is something unmatched and there will be no one like him", he stated.

In that line, the 27-year-old midfielder explained what the path should be to face the challenge: "From within, we think we need to become strong as a team because we don't have that player who is going to change the whole game for us. That is our mission, it's what we want, and for that we have to work hard".

On the other hand, the Liverpool player highlighted Nico Paz, one of the young stars of Como in Italy and one of the candidates to have a more prominent role in the National Team. "He is a player with incredible quality and talent. The most important thing is that we as a group, as teammates, can help him reach the level he is having at Como. That is what we want the most. We see that people really like him and support him, and that is super important. We wish him the best because we will always be supporting him", he affirmed.

Mac Allister's statements came after a notable performance with Liverpool, where he scored with a header in the 3-1 victory against Crystal Palace. The Argentine scored the first of his team's three goals and reached five goals for the season, in a good individual moment that he will also seek to transfer to the Albiceleste.