Jürgen Klopp summed up Trent Alexander-Arnold perfectly amid Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney digs

Having your performances scrutinized, analyzed and debated endlessly is normal when you are an elite footballer. One of Liverpool’s stars knows this better than almost anyone.

Is there any Premier League player under more scrutiny than Trent Alexander-Arnold? There aren’t too many that come to mind. You’d think someone with such sublime skills and passing prowess would be routinely praised, not torn to shreds for whatever mistake they happen to make. And while this has mainly applied to his defense over the years, his midfield capabilities are now muted.

This problem is bad enough for Liverpool games, but it is magnified when it comes to England. The media vultures have been circling even before the Three Lions kick off their campaign against Serbia on Sunday. Fortunately, Alexander-Arnold is not stupid. He will value Jürgen Klopp’s opinion far more than the dissent of a few former Manchester United players.

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I recently heard the opinion of one of football’s deepest thinkers, Wayne Rooney. “I’ve seen Trent play in midfield a few times and I think you lose a lot of his qualities,” he told The Overlap. “His delivery is obviously incredible and of course he can pick out passes from midfield, but I think he has to fight (with Kyle Walker at right-back).”

“I know Kyle is the best right-back in the world at the moment, but I think midfield is such an important position. I’d play Mainoo ahead of Trent in the middle, 100 per cent,” concluded Rooney.

Gary Neville has never been shy about offering an opinion about Alexander-Arnold, usually a negative one. He and Roy Keane recently spoke on ITV Sport ahead of England’s Euro 2024 opener.

“Against Serbia, they’re going to play deep and we’re going to have to find a way to open them up, so I can see why Trent is working there for this particular game,” Neville said. “But as the tournament goes on, I don’t think it will stay that way – other players will come into line.

“What Trent playing there does is basically allow Kyle Walker to stay behind almost as a third centre-back,” Neville continued. “Trent can come out on the right and deliver, almost like a right-back. I can see why it works, but I’m not sure it will be the solution as the tournament goes on.”

Keane agreed with his former teammate. “They will be good in the group – Trent will be good in those games. But against the really top teams I think he will be exposed a lot,” he said. “I think if he plays against one of the best teams in the middle of the field, he will be torn to pieces, I don’t think he will be up to it.”

However, Alexander-Arnold’s former manager was “very happy” with his performances when he reversed in midfield, as he explained on TNT Sports’ Rio Ferdinand’s Between The Lines earlier this year. “Trent loves it,” Klopp said. “I think he’s quite happy with the position and how he can play it. I am very pleased with him. It’s fun for a coach to see how the door opens if you give a player a little more freedom here.”

The German also defended Trent’s defence. “Of course there’s room for improvement, nobody doubts he can improve defensively, but it’s not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, it’s just the society we live in,” he said.

“Kyle Walker loses a defensive challenge every now and then, you don’t make a big story about it because he’s usually a very good defender, but if it happens, it happens, it’s football. If it happens to Trent, it’s always like proving a point,” Klopp concluded. Now, whose opinion do you think Alexander-Arnold will get the most attention?

Liverpool.com says: The pundits could be proven right about Alexander-Arnold’s midfield credentials, we’ll have to wait and see. However, their endless carp is terribly boring. Liverpool supporters would love to see Klopp give them some back on live TV.