Gary Lineker has once again called for Trent Alexander-Arnold to be thrust into the middle of the park by both England and Liverpool.
The fullback has come under fire of late for his perceived deficiencies in the backline and has consequently suffered from a lack of minutes with the national side in the World Cup.
“I think Trent’s a player who should be playing in midfield, I always have done,” Lineker told BBC One’s World Cup Extra.
“By accident, he’s fallen into right-back, which he plays brilliantly and he’s as good a crosser as you could ever see, but he’s the best passer in English football.
“He could be playing anywhere in midfield, he could play anywhere. The only weakness he’s got is occasionally he gets caught defensively.”
It’s a claim that legendary Brazil right-back Cafu is likely to disagree with having claimed that the 24-year-old is being subjected to similar criticism applied to both him and Roberto Carlos back in their playing days.
We wouldn’t be opposed to our No.66 moving higher up the pitch – provided that Jurgen Klopp felt it was the best move for the player’s development.
Ultimately, with all due respect to Lineker, only the German tactician is well-placed to pass judgement in that area and we’d expect Alexander-Arnold to stay put.
We agree that he’s not reached his highest level this term (along with a number of other Liverpool stars) but we’ve no serious concerns, long-term, around he’s getting on at the club.
EOTK Insider: 🏆 Liverpool’s Two World Cup Winners and 14 Finalists, ahead of Qatar 🔴