Manchester United’s view speaks volumes about the dull debate over Liverpool’s move for the defender

Those Liverpool supporters who find international football boring will have discovered something even more boring over the past week: the ongoing debate over whether Trent Alexander-Arnold should start for England in midfield at the ongoing European Championships.

Alexander-Arnold started alongside Declan Rice and match-winner Jude Bellingham during the 1-0 group-opening win over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday night, before being replaced midway through the second half by Chelsea captain Conor Gallagher.

While not even the Red man would claim it was his best game, it was by no means poor, especially for someone who has adapted to a relatively alien position. And he was nowhere near as ineffective as some of his England teammates. Strange, then, that the debate over the starting roles of Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Newcastle United full-back Kieran Trippier isn’t quite as heated or divisive.

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Alexander-Arnold’s talk is likely to continue until the team sheet drops for England’s second game against Denmark on Thursday night. And they certainly seem like two distinct camps when it comes to Alexander-Arnold – you’re either for Trent in midfield or vehemently against it. And with Manchester United greats Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney very much in the latter camp, they have been joined by another former Old Trafford favorite in Teddy Sheringham.

“Trent Alexander-Arnold has played as a right-back all his life – he knows how to take the ball, get it with his right foot and look for what he wants – and his position at full-back allows him to make those incredible plays. pass,” says Sheringham, speaking for the poker sites.

“However, when you play Trent in central midfield, it’s not the same position or role. We know he can find great passes – and I don’t mind him playing at right-back and roaming midfield sometimes – but you get balls differently when you play in midfield and I don’t think he knows how to do that as naturally as someone like Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton.”

Note that Sheringham’s assessment was far more considered than that of another United veteran, former right-back Paul Parker. “Trent is not someone who will link up with Harry Kane,” he claims to mybettingsites.co.uk. “Trent is about hitting long balls and when you look at England, that’s not the way to play in international football. It doesn’t play like that. The great midfielders at any European or world level play, short and quick passes or are good runners with the ball.

“Jude Bellingham is someone who likes to run the ball rather than always looking for the Hollywood pass, and Trent is all Hollywood passes. Trent shouldn’t be in that midfield. He is not a midfielder. He is a right back who struggles defensively. Everyone says he’s great with the ball. Fantastic. But you’re not there just to do that. England have a lot of good emerging midfielders like Adam Wharton.”

But the perspective of those who have not played for the senior team at Old Trafford is different. Speaking exclusively to Planet Sport Bet, former Leicester City midfielder Robbie Savage says: “I think Trent Alexander-Arnold played well and I’d stick with him for now. My pre-tournament England team was 4-3-3 with Declan Rice as six and Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden as two eights. Then Harry Kane could come in, which would allow Bellingham to run away from him – that’s how I’d go about it.

“Trent is exceptional on the ball and sometimes has those defensive instincts, but it’s a new role for him. I’d stick with him for now.”

Indeed, the general consensus leans more in favor of Alexander-Arnold. Speaking to Footy Accumulators, former England defender Stuart Pearce said: “Trent Alexander-Arnold should start in midfield again against Denmark. I still think Alexander-Arnold plays in midfield and delivers those passes he is famous for.

“But if Gareth thinks we need the high energy of Conor Gallagher to come in and work around people and upset people then that’s the player for the job, it could be a case of an early replacement to achieve that. “

And at Gambling.com, former England striker Carlton Cole suggests: “Trent is another generational talent, like Bellingham. In my opinion he has to play, it’s just a case of playing him, like Foden. The threat he is when he has the ball is like having a great quarterback in the NFL – he could pick off a pass from miles away and put it on a six-penny, which shows you he has to either in the starting XI.

“When I saw him take the number eight shirt I was quite surprised, but that’s clearly where Gareth Southgate sees him playing. I would like to see him start every game in the first half. He’ll play quick balls forward, Play to the lines and as long as he’s got runners in front of him, he’ll give them to the forwards.”

Given that Alexander-Arnold has long been regarded as a midfielder by the England set-up, and nine of his last 10 starts for his country have not been at right-back, it can no longer be called an experiment, at least not at the level international. level. And while the circumstances and set-up are very different at club level, Liverpool’s new head coach Arne Slot will be watching how Alexander-Arnold performs throughout the tournament.

How Slot approaches the 25-year-old’s immediate future with the Reds will be of significant intrigue in the early weeks of his reign. And the Dutchman will most likely keep a more open mind than many who lean towards all things Old Trafford.