Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has heaped praise on Reds right back Trent Alexander-Arnold for his England performance on Sunday.
The 20-year-old was superb as the Three Lions huffed and puffed against Switzerland in their Nations League third place play-off in Portugal, providing much of Gareth Southgate’s side’s creativity.
Carragher was very impressed by him: “I think he has been outstanding,” he told Sky Sports [14:56]. “Full-backs now are judged on how many crosses they put in, not how many they stop.
“He puts the cross on a plate for Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli, the quality he’s put in should have provided two goals. The cross he makes for Alli is Beckham-esque. He gets it out of his feet and puts it into an area and says to other players ‘you’ve got to get onto the end of that’.”
OPINION
Carragher is absolutely spot on, here. Alexander-Arnold was far and away England’s best player on Sunday. His crossing was simply sensational against the Swiss. He put a number of chances on a plate for his teammates and he will have been hugely frustrated that they didn’t make the most of them. For such a young man it’s incredible how maturely he plays and how comfortable he looks at the highest level. He made life hell for the Switzerland defence on Sunday, single-handedly creating almost all of England’s best chances on the day. If his teammates wren’t so profligate he could have claimed a hat-trick of assists, if not more. It’s been a long time since the Three Lions have had a crosser of the ball as exceptional as the Liverpool right back, perhaps not, as Carragher mentions, since David Beckham himself. It’s just a shame that more wasn’t made of his wonderful delivery.
