As such, he has become the perfect foil alongside the duo and is now said to be indispensable under manager Jurgen Klopp. Speaking on TalkSPORT, Allardyce acknowledged that Firmino was not overly successful during the initial period under Brendan Rodgers and the Reds needed to be patient with the Brazil international.

He added that the former Hoffenheim star has turned out as an unbelievable link play and he has been a massive success under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp over the past few seasons, he told: "Firmino took a while to be successful for me. Brendan Rodgers brought him and he was deemed as a bit of a failure when he first came and that's the problem of bringing a foreign player in. Sometimes it takes a season or more before they are successful. It was a good job that Liverpool were patient with him because he turned out to be an unbelievable link player. I like his one-touch football when it's in and around the final third. He has been a massive success."

Firmino has contributed 10 goals and seven assists for the runaway Premier League leaders this term. The Reds are scheduled to face Atletico Madrid during the opening leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday night. They are favourites for the game despite the fact that Atletico will have the home advantage. The Madrid giants have fared impressively at the back but they have struggled upfront with an average of just over one goal per game.In comparison, the Reds have netted more than twice on average this term.