Danny Murphy has hinted that Arne Slot could potentially implement an instant tweak at Liverpool which could go a long way towards securing one player’s future at the club.
One of the first priorities for incoming sporting director Richard Hughes will be to secure a new contract for Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose current deal at Anfield expires in June 2025.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Reds midfielder is confident that the vice-captain will stay put for the foreseeable future, adding that the 25-year-old’s new boss might play a part in that decision with a positional alteration.
Murphy said of Trent: “I don’t think he sees himself going anywhere else. The reality is, the sensible thing would be to wait. It’s highly unlikely, but the new manager might not fancy him at right-back, defensively.
“I think that’s highly unlikely, but if [Slot] doesn’t fancy him at right-back he might play him in midfield. I think we might see Trent sign because he’ll have a sit-down with the manager and I think he might say to him ‘You’re gonna play in midfield’.”
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The vice-captain has played a hybrid/midfield role with increasing regularity for club and country over the past year, and with Slot typically preferring a 4-2-3-1 formation at Feyenoord, he may yet find a place for the 25-year-old as part of a two-man midfield pivot.
That prospective tweak could also be facilitated by the emergence of Conor Bradley this season, with the Northern Ireland youngster proving very capable of playing as a starting right-back in the Premier League.
If a more permanent move to midfield would help to persuade Trent to extend his stay at Liverpool and also pave the way for his younger teammate to become a regular starter, we’re all for it.
You can view Murphy’s comments below (from 1:49), via talkSPORT on YouTube: