Former Premier League winner Gary Neville was left blown away by Liverpool’s ‘simply sensational’ right back Trent Alexander-Arnold on Sunday.
The England international played a key part as the Reds claimed a crucial 2-1 victory over Mauricio Pochettino’s side, and Neville says he always knew the 21-year-old was a fine player.
“Liverpool’s full-backs are quite simply sensational,” he told Sky Sports. “Trent Alexander-Arnold is amazing. From the moment I laid eyes on him in that first game at Old Trafford his temperament was amazing. To be thrown in during that game, he was outstanding from minute one.
“But now, he’s getting to a point where he’s one of the best full-backs I’ve ever seen going forward – his passing is unbelievable. He’s got to become as serious about his defending as he is about his attacking, and you’ve got a world class full-back there.”
OPINION
You could make a very strong argument that Alexander-Arnold is already a world class full back. In fact, there likely wouldn’t be too many people who would argue with that statement. However, there’s no doubt that he is better going forward than he is defensively. That doesn’t mean that he’s bad at the back, just that he’s not quite as good in that area as he is when he’s bombing forward, where he’s arguably the finest attacking full back in world football. His range of passing is astonishing, while the consistency of his crosses into the box is incredible to witness. The statistics from Sunday tell you all you need to know about his offensive influence. As per WhoScored.com, the youngster had two shots against Spurs – one on target – and made a ridiculous seven key passes. That’s unbelievable just on its own, that statistic. His 130 touches were the most of any player on Sunday, while he produced 20 crosses and knocked 14 long balls forward. There’s no doubt that he is the gold standard at right back these days, something Neville knows all about.
