Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold has had a good start to the summer.
Much of Alexander-Arnold’s season for the Reds was disrupted by injury. But when he was fit, the 25-year-old showed his quality.
Had Trent stayed injury-free throughout the season, there’s certainly an argument that Liverpool would have been closer to the big trophies than they were. The academy graduate finished the season in impressive fashion.
And he has taken that form into the internationals with England. Set to go to the Euros in Germany, Alexander-Arnold was excellent on Monday as the Three Lions beat Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Trent has been doing well from a permanent midfield position for England. As a result, debate has been swirling over what Alexander-Arnold’s position could be moving forward at Liverpool.
Alan Pardew suggests Trent Alexander-Arnold role
The debate over whether Alexander-Arnold should be moved to midfield has been going on for more than a year now.
During that time, the 25-year-old has been playing a hybrid role for Liverpool which is nominally being a midfielder with right-back responsibilities.
For his country, those full-back requirements are removed completely. Instead, Alexander-Arnold has discussed playing solely in midfield with Gareth Southgate.
READ MORE: England fans react to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina
The common consensus suggests that this would be as a slightly more forward-thinking midfielder rather than a defensive-minded one. However, speaking on TalkSPORT, former Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has suggested that Alexander-Arnold could do both.
“What I think personally about Trent, it was the perfect game for him [vs Bosnia],” says Pardew.
“And it was the perfect indication to the manager as well that when teams are sat in, you need that vision from deep to switch play, to play balls over the back, to try and find a clever hard pass into that striking area.
“And I thought he came through with flying colours, Trent, in terms of that, let’s call it a number 8 role. You could argue that he was number 6 yesterday, which I think he can do as well.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold can be Liverpool’s new No.6
As Arne Slot takes over at Liverpool, one of his biggest remits is to improve the team defensively.
A lot of this will obviously come down to how well the head coach can drill his back line. But it will also be largely though who plays in defensive midfield for the Reds.
Although Wataru Endo is a decent enough player, he is not the long-term option for Liverpool.
They have been linked with adding to the position in the transfer market. Alan Varela of Porto is a player to keep an eye on in that respect.
But with other areas also needing attention, Liverpool may not have the funds available to invest.
As a result, it could be that Alexander-Arnold ends up filling in. In our opinion, we agree with Pardew. Despite what people believe, he’s got the defensive nous and could pull all the strings from deep. Let’s give it a try.