‘There is a pathway but they are competing against themselves to get to Melwood and get that debut… But Trent? Trent’s going to be a beauty.’ Steven Gerrard; April 25, 2017
Liverpool’s former captain would recoil if it was suggested he played a role in the development of Trent Alexander-Arnold, but he knows talent when he sees it.
On the day Steven Gerrard was appointed Under 18 head coach at the club, the declaration he made about an emerging right back was emphatic.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been hailed for his ‘moment of genius’ against Barcelona
The right back’s quick thinking allowed Divock Origi to score Liverpool’s winning goal
Alexander-Arnold was not unknown then. He had made starts in the Premier League and Carabao Cup and Gerrard even made a point of name-checking him in his 2015 autobiography.
Expectation can kill fledgling careers, particularly for boys from Liverpool who dream of playing for the club, and big, bold words are not necessarily helpful, but there was something about the way Gerrard spoke that made you realise the trajectory for this young man would be different.
Two years on and look at him now. Alexander-Arnold does not turn 21 until October, but by then he will have played in two Champions League finals, represented England at a World Cup and been selected for the PFA team of the year. Gerrard is no longer alone in calling him a ‘beauty’.
His performance against Barcelona on Tuesday, a night Anfield will never forget, was everything everyone who has watched his career develop hoped it would be.
Liverpool are a club who need a local identity and the responsibility of representing this team sits easily. Away from football, he is a patron of the local charity An Hour for Others and regularly devotes his time to them; last Christmas Day he helped serve dinner to 60 families in difficult circumstances and bought presents for under-privileged children.
Steven Gerrard saw great potential in him during his time as part of Liverpool’s youth set-up
Given that he grew up in West Derby, the district that contains Liverpool’s Melwood training base, Alexander-Arnold has long known the gravitas attached to being a player for the club and what is needed to succeed on and off the pitch.
‘He is going to get better,’ Gerrard told Sportsmail last summer. ‘The (Liverpool academy) staff have done a terrific job with him but I think Jurgen has been the key to it all. Giving him the opportunity, believing in him, playing him in big games and big environments.
‘He trusted him to go out and make mistakes and learn and grow from them. To already be regarded as one of the best right backs in the Premier League is a credit to him. I love his shape. He is going to get bigger and stronger but he is in incredible condition, physically. He’s already a beauty.’
Gerrard described the full-back as a ‘beauty’ who is only going to get better and better
As a keen chess player, Alexander- Arnold knows how and when to make decisive moves and he was one step ahead of Barcelona’s players, particularly in the second half when Liverpool laid siege.
You saw it in the 54th minute, when, having initally lost possession, he skipped past Jordi Alba to tee up Gini Wijnaldum for Liverpool’s second goal. The best evidence, though, arrived in the 79th minute with his impudent corner for Divock Origi’s winner.
‘I didn’t even see him take the corner,’ said Virgil van Dijk, who raised a wry smile when it was put to him that the same was true for Barcelona’s defenders.
Liverpool won a corner 11 minutes from time which the defender set down at the corner flag
Alexander-Arnold begins to walk away from taking the set-piece as Xherdan Shaqiri walks over
However, in a moment of brilliance, the 20-year-old quickly realises Origi is unmarked
With the whole Barcelona team caught napping, Origi just has to finish and score the goal
‘He’s a fantastic full back. If you look at Andy Robertson as well, they are outstanding. I’m very happy to play with those guys.’
It is to Barcelona’s detriment that they never paid attention. Alexander-Arnold has a gift when striking a dead ball and his crossing from the right has been a rich source of goals for Liverpool.
A prime example of him came at Cardiff on Easter Sunday, when his delivery at a perfectly executed corner routine allowed Wijnaldum to break the deadlock and keep the pressure on Manchester City.
These are the moments Alexander- Arnold dreamed of when he used to wait outside Melwood, hoping for autographs from Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres. The dream is everything he hoped it would be.
Footage of him in the dressing room immediately after the Barcelona game gave an insight to his emotions. The heavy breathing illustrated how much energy had been exerted trying to overcome the odds, but the consistent shaking of his head confirmed there was an element of disbelief.
The result might have come as a shock but nothing that Alexander-Arnold is doing should come as a surprise. Klopp has made him into England’s premier right back and given him the platform to inherit Gerrard’s mantle.
He has become the Kop’s new local hero.
Alexander-Arnold kisses the Liverpool badge on his shirt in the dressing room after the game