Virgil van Dijk has hailed Trent Alexander-Arnold as one of the best right-backs in England, contrasting his position in the national team's pecking order.
Alexander-Arnold has struggled to break into Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad and failed to appear in either of the recent Nations League games. That came after criticism of his performances for Liverpool this season, with the Reds sitting a lowly ninth in the Premier League.
But the right-back responded to his doubters in the best possible way on Tuesday night when Rangers visited Anfield. He was selected to start by boss Jurgen Klopp and opened the scoring with a brilliant free-kick just seven minutes in.
The 23-year-old went on to help the Reds secure a 2-0 win, successfully keeping Rangers dangerman Ryan Kent quiet. And following his impressive performance, Van Dijk has made it clear how highly he rates the Englishman, even if Southgate does not share that view.
"We are all struggling. Hopefully we get to the point where we are finding our level again. That's what we all want, that's what we all work for. We all come into training, get stronger, get faster, get better, but it's not a quick fix - it doesn't work like that," he said.
"If it worked like that, it would be a lot easier. He [Alexander-Arnold] has been showing it over the last couple of years; he has developed as one of the best right-backs in the country. In the end, if he doesn't make the squad, that's on Southgate.
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"He makes the decisions and everyone has to respect his decisions. The only thing he can do is perform at the club. Obviously the last couple of weeks have been difficult for all of us and hopefully we can find the right form again, all of us."
Van Dijk also encouraged Alexander-Arnold to keep his head down and show his quality in the face of the criticism he has been given this year. The Dutchman was adamant that is the only way for Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold to finally kickstart their season.
"We know the quality he has and he showed it again today. But I've been in the UK now for eight, nine years and everyone here is very good to praise a player very high up to the sky and let them fall as hard as they can," Van Dijk added.
"That's what we, as players, have to deal with. Everyone is talking about how we should accept it. For him to just carry on working - not only him but other players as well - deal with it and show reaction today is what we need, all of us.
"To do that, I think it's important that we back him and the manager and the club and the fans. No matter what the outside world will say about him, we always back each other and we know that we are fighting our way back to the consistency we have always been showing over the last couple of years. We'll get there. I'm confident we'll all get there."
