By Arthur Ferridge

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Alexis Mac Allister has joked he and his Liverpool teammates were left frustrated by Alexander Isak’s drawn-out transfer saga.

The striker’s British record move from Newcastle to Liverpool dominated headlines throughout the summer as the Magpies did all in their power to prevent their star man from leaving.

Liverpool were persistent, though, and sealed the deal on Deadline Day with a £125million bid, with Isak going on to make his debut as the Reds hosted Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last week.

Mac Allister has now revealed that he and his teammates found the saga tiresome, but they are pleased to finally have Isak on board.

“At the beginning, it was a big thing and after a while we got a bit tired because it was too long,” he told TNT Sports ahead of the Merseyside derby.

“But we all know the player he is. He is going to be really, really important and we are happy to have him here.”

Mac Allister continued, adding he was grateful to now have Isak as a team-mate rather than an opponent. The Swede has scored four goals in six appearances against Liverpool, including the eventual winner in last season’s Carabao Cup final.

“It’s good for him because it’s what he wanted, we are so happy to have him because we know the player that he is and we suffered against him a couple of times as well.”

Newcastle were desperate not to sell Isak this summer and fought tooth and nail to keep him on Tyneside, but their hand was forced after the player released a statement publicly asking to leave.

Mac Allister feels Newcastle got a fair deal, though: “Maybe the other club are not happy, but that’s the way football works.

“They paid quite a lot of money so I think it’s good for both clubs.”