Trent Alexander-Arnold is the best and most influential right-back in the world currently, with no other player enjoying his level of influence in his position.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Liverpool, having made his debut back in 2016.
Having initially been viewed as a top academy product, Alexander-Arnold has blossomed over time, becoming one of the key members of Jurgen Klopp’s star-studded team.
Last year, he became the youngster player in history to start back-to-back Champions League finals, highlighting the speed of his progress.
He has earned a huge amount of praise along the way, not least from all-time great Cafu, which is the ultimate compliment for a right-back.
On Monday, Gary Lineker took to Twitter to hail Alexander-Arnold as the world’s premier right-back, laughing off claims that Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal was the best in the business.
No, that would be @trentaa98 https://t.co/TFFHkCiBGu
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 30, 2020
Lineker is absolutely spot on in his assessment, even though it is easy for bias to take control from a Liverpool perspective.
Alexander-Arnold is playing the role of Liverpool’s playmaker, incredibly doing so from right back. So much of what the Reds do comes through the youngster, with the midfield tasked with being industrious more than anything.
Blessed with outrageous natural ability, his penchant for spraying a cross-field pass or sending in a perfectly weighted cross have been hallmarks of this fantastic side under Klopp.
Last season, Alexander-Arnold broke the record for the most assists by a defender in Premier League history (12) and he has already matched that tally this time around.
As a comparison, Carvajal has just five assists in La Liga in 2019/20, as well as one goal, compared to Alexander-Arnold’s two. On top of that, he is more functional than anything, with his Madrid teammates bringing greater creativity.
Meanwhile, at 36, Dani Alves isn’t the force he once was during his prime years, while Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich often plays in midfield and has only managed two goals and four assists in the Bundesliga this season. Both are top players, but they aren’t quite Alexander-Arnold.
His performance away to Leicester City on Boxing Day was arguably the best by a Liverpool player this season, on an evening when he assisted twice, found the net himself and kept a clean sheet.
Alexander-Arnold is a generational talent who everything in his locker to become a Liverpool legend. That may sound like hyperbole, but the impact he has already made speaks for itself, in a team that many consider to be the best on the planet currently.
In a defensive sense, the right-back can still improve – Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka is superior in that area, for example, averaging 3.8 tackles per game in the Premier League this season, compared to 1.6 for Alexander-Arnold – but he is a unique talent with the world at his feet.
When you weigh everything up, there isn’t a better right-back in the game right now.
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