Liverpool appear to be edging closer to appointing Ruben Amorim as their Jurgen Klopp successor.
The Sporting manager has jumped ahead of the pack to be the outstanding candidate to take over from Klopp, on paper at least.
In practice, it also looks like Amorim is starting to become more likely to end up at Anfield. On Tuesday, it was claimed that Liverpool had actually agreed a contract for the 39-year-old to take over in the summer.
Although that ultimately appeared to be premature, talks have reportedly been ongoing at the very least. Sporting’s seemingly imminent league title win may even help to smooth things along.
So, it isn’t a big leap to suggest that it now feels inevitable that Amorim will take over this summer. And if he is hired, the Portuguese surely already knows which player he has to build the first post-Klopp Liverpool around.
Ruben Amorim must build around Trent Alexander-Arnold
Should Amorim arrive, there will be an expectation that he will change a fair bit about the current version of Liverpool.
He likes his teams to play a different system to Klopp for a start. Meanwhile, there have also been rumours that Amorim would be looking to bring as many as four players from Sporting to Anfield.
For those already with the Reds, this will lead to some winners and loser. We think we already know the players who would benefit most from seeing Amorim appointed, and those who may end up on the opposite end of that.
Whatever happens though, one of the first jobs, whoever the manager may be, is tying down Trent Alexander-Arnold to a new contract.
With just a year left on his current deal, the 25-year-old is reportedly a transfer target for Real Madrid. That has to immediately be warded off by handing Trent a new deal and making him the absolute key man at Liverpool.
This summer already looks set to be a period of transition, with claims that Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are pondering whether or not to leave, too. With both players ageing anyway, it’s clear that Alexander-Arnold is the man who’s going to lead Liverpool into a new era.
How could Ruben Amorim use Trent
Amorim tends to set his teams up in a 3-4-3 style formation. This means that he essentially likes to play with three centre-backs and the full-backs pushed up high.
In essence, with an extra defender behind him, this could really suit Trent. Although he perhaps wants to play more in midfield, that seems unlikely with just two slots available. Instead, the Scouser can be given a bit more license to roam forward. That might suit him anyway.
What’s clear is that with Alexander-Arnold now approaching his peak, the new manager must get the very best out of him. There’s a reason he’s been called ‘outstanding’ by former Red Stephen Warnock.
Whether he does push him into midfield, rewire his full-back role, or do something else entirely, Amorim has to make Trent the key man. He’s a special footballer.