Gary Lineker believes Liverpool are not getting the best out of Trent Alexander-Arnold by playing him at right-back instead of in midfield.
Reds star Alexander-Arnold continues to be at the centre of hotly-contested debates during the World Cup, with the 24-year-old continually snubbed by England manager Gareth Southgate. Kieran Trippier started the first two group stage games, with Kyle Walker brought in for the 3-0 win against Wales on Tuesday despite not playing a single minute of football for nearly two months.
Southgate's stance toward Alexander-Arnold presents further evidence to the argument that the Liverpool No.66 is not fully appreciated at international level. That's a far cry from the feeling on Merseyside, where the Reds' right-back is a mainstay in Jurgen Klopp's side and a vital cog in their recent success. The West-Derby born star has become one of the most creative full-backs in history under Klopp, but this season has seen defensive weaknesses exposed and, at times, fixated on.
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But speaking recently, BBC pundit and former England striker Lineker admitted he thinks Alexander-Arnold is being misused for both club and country.
“I think Trent’s a player who should be playing in midfield, I always have done," Lineker told BBC One’s World Cup Extra.
“By accident, he’s fallen into right-back, which he plays brilliantly and he’s as good a crosser as you could ever see, but he’s the best passer in English football. He could be playing anywhere in midfield, he could play anywhere. The only weakness he’s got is occasionally he gets caught defensively.”
Alexander-Arnold spent much of his teenage years in midfield, either wide on the right or centrally, but agreed to convert into a full-back aged 17, seeing the position as giving him the clearest path into the Liverpool first team. Academy manager at the time, Neil Critchley, would demand the club's best young wingers drive at Alexander-Arnold with every opportunity in order to force the then-teenager to learn his new role.
Since coming into the first-team picture during the 2015/2016 campaign under Brendan Rodgers, the boyhood Red has quickly developed into one of the world's best right backs - certainly in an attacking sense, with an outstanding 62 assists in 246 appearances for the club across all competitions and both Premier League and Champions League winners medals.
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