Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has revealed how adapting to the British game has ended up affecting him physically.
The Argentine was initially signed by Brighton in January last year, with the Seagulls paying £7.2m to secure him from Argentinos Juniors.
He spent the rest of the year with the Argentine club before moving to Boca Juniors on loan the following summer in a deal that was supposed to last until the summer at least.
However, his impressive performances there prompted Brighton to bring him back to the club early in January, a decision that has largely paid off so far.
The move to England has seen Mac Allister need to adapt in more ways than one, part of which he revealed in a chat with Radio Colonia.
“In the English league what predominates is the physical,” he said, relayed by Ole.
“You always have to be 100%, the training sessions are short but very intense. Since I arrived I have lost 14 millimetres of fat.”
Alexis’ excellent form in Argentina last year helped to earn him his first call up to the national side, with him featuring in the games against Chile and then Mexico.
It’s a status he’s managed to uphold since, sitting on the bench for the friendly games against Brazil and Uruguay as well as the World Cup qualification win over Bolivia.
He’ll need to keep himself a regular for Brighton if he is to stay a part of Scaloni’s plans, although the player says there’s also a reverse effect.
“You always want to be there and play,” he added.
“But being included in that group has been very important t me, it even helped me when I returned to England and played with extra motivation.”
