Gary Neville praises Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold as an exceptional talent

Everything has fallen into place for Liverpool this season, with the Reds securing the Premier League title in Arne Slot’s debut campaign. While they fell short in the domestic cups and saw their Champions League journey ended by PSG, arguably the strongest side in Europe right now. The success is largely down to Slot’s management and the players executing his vision.

Mohamed Salah has enjoyed a Ballon d’Or-worthy run, Virgil van Dijk continues to prove he’s among the world’s best defenders, and Trent Alexander-Arnold has arguably been the Premier League’s top right-back.

Speaking on Stick to Football, Gary Neville praised Alexander-Arnold’s extraordinary crossing ability, calling him a genuine freak of nature for how effortlessly he delivers from wide areas.

With it now confirmed that Trent Alexander-Arnold will join Real Madrid next summer, his final season at Liverpool has taken on an emotional tone for fans. Many had hoped he would stay and cement his status as a club legend, not follow the path of Michael Owen.

Known for his pinpoint crosses and incredible composure, Alexander-Arnold looks every bit the Galáctico Real Madrid seek. Gary Neville recently gave his take on the Liverpool star’s passing ability, admitting that even at his peak as a top-level right-back, he couldn’t pass anywhere near the level Alexander-Arnold consistently displays.

United legend heaps praises on the Scouser

Gary Neville, long considered one of the top creative right-backs during his playing days, even named his YouTube show The Overlap as a nod to the forward runs he made so frequently.

However, when it comes to creativity and delivery from wide areas, Neville openly admitted he doesn’t come close to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s level.

Reflecting on his own approach, Neville explained that when he couldn’t play a pass into someone’s feet, his crosses were more hopeful than precise aimed at general zones like the near or far post.

In contrast, he described Alexander-Arnold’s technique as “freakish,” calling him a “genuine freak” for the sheer accuracy and consistency he shows when crossing, something Neville says is far from normal even at the highest level.

The Rival Legend speaking on his show Stick to football, explained

“Oh yeah. So basically, if I couldn’t feed it in and I was going to cross it, if I couldn’t feed it into people’s feet and I was going to cross it, it was just in case I’m right. This is exactly where I’m going to put it,”

“I’m going to put it into the back post. I’m going to put it into the near post. You have to be…

“Like Trent is an actual freak. That’s a freak. That is honestly a freak watching him cross a ball, that is not normal.”

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Alexander-Arnold is truly a once-in-a-generation talent at right-back, no one in that position has ever had such a consistent and decisive impact going forward. Replacing the England international will be one of Liverpool’s biggest challenges in the post-Trent era.

But while he is excellent going forward, replacing him would in fact make life easier for our defence who are usually let down by Trent’s abject defensive skills. In many ways, his exit can open up an opportunity for Slot and Co to rejig the setup and come up with a different style of play. Exciting times indeed await.