Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has hailed the impact of Reds coach Pep Lijnders on his career thus far.
The coach, who is now Jurgen Klopp’s right hand man, used to manage Alexander-Arnold at U16 level, and the England international has never forgotten how integral the Dutchman was to his rise to the top.
Speaking to The Athletic, when asked about how important Lijnders was in his development, he said: “Absolutely massive. There was a real bond between us.
“His passion for football is something I hadn’t really seen in a coach before. The detail he went into, his will to win – it was unbelievable.
“It was exactly what I wanted and what I needed.”
OPINION
Whatever Lijnders did for Alexander-Arnold, it clearly worked. It’s crazy to think that he only made his first team debut three years ago, and yet he is no legitimately one of the finest attacking full-backs in world football. So far this season in the Premier League, for example, he has averaged 3.7 key passes per game, as per Whoscored, as well as a match rating of 7.33. His distribution and execution are first rate, as is his vision, and it would be no surprise to see him apply those skills further up the field at some point in his career. For now, however, he is on to a good thing, and if it ain’t broke, Jurgen Klopp definitely shouldn’t try to fix it. The sky is the limit for the young defender.
