Dean Saunders lauds Trent Alexander-Arnold and labels him the best English midfielder
Former Liverpool forward Dean Saunders praises the performance of Trent Alexander-Arnold since moving into midfield and claims he is the best English midfielder.
The upturn in Alexander-Arnold’s form has been remarkable since the day Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp changed the system and moved him into a fullback-cum-central midfield hybrid role.
Now, the 24-year-old is a central midfielder when the team is in possession and goes back to the original right-back slot in defensive situations. His numbers have been phenomenal for a midfielder in the last seven games as a result.
Here’s what Saunders said about Alexander-Arnold, his midfield prowess and why Liverpool do not need to sign a midfielder (h/t Mirror, via Talksport):
“I honestly think Liverpool don’t need to sign a midfield player. I think he [Alexander-Arnold] is better than all the English midfield players.
“I think Trent could play centre of midfield for England and end up captain. I think he’s a brilliant central midfield player; he’s like a caged animal waiting – you can tell he’s loving it.
“He can defend in midfield, which is not like defending as a full-back where you get isolated with the winger – he’s got defensive thoughts in his head which he can track people into the box. His feet are better than anybody’s in the England team, both feet.”
While we can agree with everything Saunders said about Alexander-Arnold, he pushed the envelope a bit by saying Liverpool do not need to sign a midfielder as a consequence of that. If we look at the options the Reds have in that department, one would imagine that they need at least three midfielders in the summer window.
Now, if Alexander-Arnold’s resurgence in midfield means the club signs two players in that department, that is also fine. They can then focus on getting an out-and-out right-back as well. Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may not be here next season, after all.
Let’s not look too far ahead and drool at how good the 24-year-old has been since the change in his position. We all know he used to play there for the youth team, so that sense of ball control and space awareness was there even if he played as a right-back in the last five years.
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The other thing to note is that his defensive game has improved too. He can intercept passes, physically shrug off forwards, read the game better and commit to off-the-ball work. If the young Scouser continues this, Liverpool have a gem of a midfielder on their hands.
