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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Tom Cavilla

Former Manchester United midfielder Kleberson tells Trent Alexander-Arnold to improve his attacking

Former Manchester United midfielder Kleberson believes Trent Alexander-Arnold still has plenty of room for improvement as a defender.

The Liverpool right-back has gone from strength to strength since breaking into Jurgen Klopp's first-team and has proven his ability on countless occasions when featuring at right-back. A key component in the Reds' side, the 23-year-old offers a unique attacking outlet for those operating in the final third of the pitch.

So far this season, the West Derby-born defender has taken his game to another level and has registered an astonishing 18 assists in all competitions. Despite being a major asset for the team when creating goalscoring opportunities, Alexander-Arnold's defensive capabilities have been questioned at times due to being out of position when opposition sides are pressing forward.

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The unique role played by the talented full-back means he can sometimes be caught out when advancing high up the pitch, but Kleberson is of the view that the Reds' No.66 must quickly improve from an attacking point of view.

“Trent Alexander-Arnold actually has to get better at the offensive side of his game, not the defensive side. He has to create chances and more goals, switch the play well and work on his combinations with attackers in the final third," he told Paddy Power. "For me, the defensive side of the game is a collective effort, but when he gets the chance to create an overload going forwards, he has to be in the right positions to create chances for the team.”

It has been suggested by some that Alexander-Arnold would be better suited to a midfield role due to his creative talent - an experiment trialled by England manager Gareth Southgate earlier this season during a friendly versus Andorra. This was a test that lasted only 45 minutes before being stopped and left Klopp bemused after learning of Southgate's decision.

"In this game, in a game where England are that dominant for example, or that we are that dominant that Trent could play in midfield, I would rather he was the six than in this case the eight," he said.

"That is possible but why would you make the best right-back in the world a midfielder? I don't understand that really. As if the right-back position is not as important as the others. People who say that I struggle to understand how you could think that."

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