Trent Alexander-Arnold has quickly restored his reputation as one of the globe’s elite talents with his shift to a hybrid fullback role.
Despite the Scouser’s usefulness in midfield, however, Glen Johnson has warned it would be inappropriate to start the 25-year-old in the middle of the park against Manchester City.
“I don’t think Liverpool should be looking to play Trent in midfield full-time,” the 39-year-old spoke to Squawka.
“He’s had some good games for England in midfield, but I think he can only really do it against the weaker teams.
“If he’s playing in the midfield role against Man City, they’re not going to be worried about him, they’d probably enjoy it.
“It’s always good to experiment and try things but it’s not something Liverpool should be looking to do full-time.”
The England international, valued at £49.8m (according to Football Transfers‘ valuation system), has registered three assists in all competitions this term.
Where does the future lie for Trent Alexander-Arnold?
The answer to where Trent will play in future is one that greatly depends on who you ask.
For Gareth Southgate, our Academy graduate is destined for the heart of the midfield, with the England boss labelling the fullback ‘excellent’ in the Three Lions’ 1-1 draw with North Macedonia.
On the other hand, things get a little tricky when you consider his role at Liverpool.
A permanent midfield place seems highly unlikely for a number of reasons – chief amongst them perhaps the stark reality that we’ve an abundance of quality options fighting for a place in the starting trio.
Creatively, however, we have to ask whether a midfield slot would get the most out of Alexander-Arnold moving forward, particularly whilst his assists tally remains so low thus far.
I think it wouldn’t be bad at all playing Trend as an inverted defender to play in the midfield only if CD can complement or cover for him