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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Fraser Watson

What happened to Liverpool's seven Premier League No 10s as Alexis Mac Allister joins club

When you sign for Liverpool, you best be aware of the club's history.

And that's a notion that new midfielder Alexis Mac Allister will be all too aware of after signing from Brighton for £45 million. The Argentinian star was given the choice of the No 10 or the No 8 jersey at Anfield, and opted for the former because of his past history with that shirt at other clubs.

It means that number so famously donned by Steven Gerrard for so long remains vacant. But in the meantime, the 24-year-old will now set about adding to the legacy of Liverpool No 10s, although not every Reds player to wear that number in the Premier League era has necessarily been a resounding success.

John Barnes

One of Liverpool's most iconic attacking players started the Premier League era as their No 10, and whilst the speed was waning, Barnes remained integral at Anfield until leaving in 1997.

Having previously helped Liverpool to two top flight titles as a dazzling winger, by the mid 1990s the England international had adapted his role, moving into the position of a holding midfielder. He regularly captained the side in the 1995-96 season, and took the armband full time when In Rush left for Leeds.

And he remained capable of the occasional magic moment too. His run and dribble to tee up Stan Collymore for the winner in THAT 4-3 win over Newcastle remains etched in Premier League folklore.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Who is Liverpool's greatest even No 10 in the Premier League era? Comment below.

Michael Owen

The animosity that still lingers towards Owen from Liverpool fans following his late career move to Man United fans often masks his mercurial spell there.

He hadn't inherited the No 10 shirt by the time he scored on his senior debut against Wimbledon in May 1997, aged just 17, but it became his following the departure of Barnes. Fast forward to 2004, and the striker would leave Liverpool with 297 appearances and 158 goals to his name - not to mention ample silverware.

Michael Owen came through at a very early age at Liverpool (Gary M Prior/Allsport/Getty Images)

The Newcastle hat trick, the Ballon D'or success, the unforgettable late goals to win the 2001 FA Cup final. If you assess Owen's time at Liverpool in isolation, then you assess one of the Premier League's best ever.

Luis Garcia

The streets will never forget, and with good reason.

Luis Garcia's final season of this three year stint in England petered out, with an anterior cruciate ligament injury restricting him to just 17 league appearances. But by that point, legendary status had long been secured.

Luis Garcia became a Liverpool hero after two stints at Barcelona (Getty Images)

The 'ghost' goal that saw Liverpool into the 2004/05 Champions League final at the expense of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, not to mention his contribution in the miracle of Istanbul that followed, was enough to secure fan favourite status for ever more. And the sangria song still reverberates around Anfield.....

Andriy Voronin

A grand total of 27 league appearances in two-and-a-half league seasons probably already answers the question as to whether the Ukrainian was a success in Liverpool.

Voronin never really got going at Liverpool (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

For context, his stint between 2007-2010 was plagued by ankle problems, whilst he spent his second year with Liverpool on loan at Hertha BSC. His final campaign was cut short in January when he signed for Dynamo Moscow.

He signed for Rafa Benitez with a reputation as an attacking midfielder capable of scoring goals. He left with just five Premier League strikes to his name, and the unavoidable notion his move and not been a success.

Joe Cole

The signing of Joe Cole in the summer of 2010 was supposed to represent Roy Hodgson's first big statement of intent.

Joe Cole underwhelmed at Liverpool. (PA)

But a move that initially signalled huge promise ultimately fell flat. He was red carded on his Premier League debut away at Arsenal and quite frankly, it barely got better from there.

After a difficult first season Cole, a shadow of the player who shone at Chelsea, was shipped out to Lille on loan. He returned for the 2012/13 campaign, but only lasted until January before heading back to boyhood club West Ham.

Philippe Coutinho

A magician who excelled in a red shirt and yet, you can't help but wonder just how much greater his Liverpool legacy could have been.

Coutinho left for Barcelona for £142 million (AFP/Getty Images)

Signed for a bargain price of £6million by Brendan Rodgers, between 2013 and 2018 he was the playmaker in red. But against the wishes of Jurgen Klopp, he left for Barcelona in January 2013 for a massive £142million fee. And he was never the same again.

Coutinho went on to win two La Liga titles with Barca and the Bundesliga and Champions League when on loan at Bayern Munich. But the brutal reality remains that as a player, he never hit the heights of his spell at Anfield - and Klopp's clever use of the funds his sale created was instrumental in the Liverpool success that followed.

Sadio Mane

Coutinho's exit paved the way for Sadio Mane to pick up the No 10 shirt. And boy, did he fill it.

Sadio Mane will hope to recapture his best form at Bayern next year ((Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images))

The Senegal forward left for Bayern Munich last summer having played a pivotal role in Klopp's team capturing every major trophy going. The facts, 120 goals in 269 club appearances, don't start to tell the story. Mane's work rate, selflessness, and above all, quality, made him every bit as integral to the side as the more heralded Mo Salah.

It's not been a happy year in Germany since. Despite getting a Bundesliga winners medal, he struggled for form and was dealt a suspension for fighting with teammate Leroy Sane. But his time at Liverpool will forever he heralded a huge success.

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