A successful pre-season tour of the United States gave the then 17 year old midfielder a real platform to kick on with his Liverpool career and his maturity beyond his years and impeccable professionalism saw him rewarded with his competitive debut only 18 days after his 18th birthday.A mixed game for Alexander-Arnold followed with the right back being booked for a reckless first half tackle on Ben Davies, no doubt down to his nerves, but still doing enough during his 68 minute cameo to earn himself a place in the EFL Cup Team of the Round. It’s worth noting that the yellow card received on his debut was the only one he received all season, mightily impressive for an 18 year old looking to make his mark. Despite his somewhat nervy, but passionate, showing in front of the Anfield faithful, Alexander-Arnold had clearly shown Klopp what he was about and was handed a long-term contract by the club on November 8th and his run in the EFL Cup continued with him starting, and assisting, against Leeds United and earning himself the Man of the Match award for his efforts.The next two months saw Alexander-Arnold make his Premier League Debut against Middlesbrough and receive his first Premier League start, against Manchester United. The season ended with Alexander-Arnold having played 12 games across all three domestic competitions whilst also being named as the club’s Young Player of the Season, and things only got better from then.
A preseason injury to the then still first choice right back Nathaniel Clyne saw Alexander-Arnold perhaps receive more minutes than anybody could have expected, with him competing with the sparingly available Joe Gomez for the right back spot and him ending the season with a grand total of 33 appearances across all competitions. In addition to the impressive 33 appearances that the young star made for the first team, Alexander-Arnold also chipped in with 3 goals – the most memorable being on his Champions League debut against Hoffenheim during their 2-1 back yard loss.Throughout the 17/18 season Alexander-Arnold earned the reputation for being rash, for loving a challenge, but this was unfair – the right back was only booked 5 times across all 33 games and was generally well composed in the tackle and even more devastating going forward with his 3 assists giving him a total of 6 goal contributions during his first full season.Despite his impressive numbers for the first team, Alexander-Arnold’s highlight of the season must surely be him starting during the Champions league final, lining up opposite against Cristiano Ronaldo and largely keeping the superstar quiet – despite Liverpool eventually succumbing to a 3-1 defeat.
Alexander-Arnold’s rise through the Liverpool ranks and his heroics that cemented his place in the first team did not go unnoticed and following the conclusion of the season he saw himself called up to Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad, having made his debut earlier in a month during a pre-tournament friendly against Costa Rica. Alexander-Arnold only made a solitary appearance during the tournament, against Belgium, but he acquitted himself with distinction and did not look out of place in Southgate’s young and hungry England side.Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Alexander-Arnold saw his meteoric rise rewarded further with him being nominated for both the Golden Boy award and the Kopa Trophy, a new award organised by France Football, with him yet to find out the results for either.
The start of 18/19 season has seen Alexander-Arnold solidify his position within the first team and he has looked largely solid, barring a rare poor showing against Napoli in the Champions League – a game in which a whole team played poorly.What is surprising though is that Alexander-Arnold was booked in each of his first 3 games this season – although he hasn’t in the following 7 games, including during his third game for England, lining up against Switzerland. This more aggressive side we are now seeing in Alexander-Arnold’s game may well be a result of his growing ambitions, he sees himself as a future leader within the squad and has lofty aspirations. Only last week Alexander-Arnold told the Liverpool Echo that, “I want to become captain one day.That’s definitely a dream of mine.” It’s definitely early days for the young Scouser but the sky is certainly the limit and his potential seems to be limitless, it’s down to Trent, the scholar from West Derby, to remain in the team and show why he deserves that famous armband and follow in the footsteps of his childhood hero.Written by: James McHale @jamesmchale2607
