Former Liverpool youth coach Michael Beale has seen a whole host of young players that have gone on to star in the Premier League.
The current QPR boss worked with Chelsea and Liverpool at youth level and oversaw a whole host of talented stars.
But he claims Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold was the best youngster he ever saw during his time coaching youth teams.
He’s gone onto become one of the best right-backs in the world and set a new standard for how full-backs should play but it seems he was always destined for big things.
Beale’s comments on Alexander-Arnold
Speaking to Sky Sports, the now Queens Park Rangers boss suggested that the Liverpool man was even better than the likes of Chelsea’s Mason Mount.
His list of players mentioned are all fully fledged PL or Serie A players – with Beale overseeing a lot of great young English talent in his time.
“A lot of really famous players now playing in the Premier League came through that programme or trained with us,” said Beale.
“Mason Mount, Declan Rice, Tammy Abraham, Dominic Solanke, Fikayo Tomori, Eddie Nketiah…”
“I worked with some fantastic young players. The biggest one is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who came through and has won everything there is to win at such a young age.
Every time I see him play I just smile because I know the journey he’s been on to get there,” said Beale.
We’ve seen @TrentAA run down the wing and whip in a cross… ⚡
But does he have what it takes to beat a @FIAFormulaE car in a race and provide the perfect assist? 🎯 pic.twitter.com/qOLSK9ih7s
— SPORF (@Sporf) July 29, 2022
Alexander-Arnold’s 2021/22 PL campaign
His form last season was exemplary and stood out amongst full-backs in world football.
According to Squawka, he created 90 chances, 12 assists and had 13.01 expected assists.
He also had the Highest Expected Assists per 90 during the 2021/22 Premier League season (900+ mins) at 0.41 – beating out Kevin de Bruyne, Michael Olise, Christian Eriksen and Mount.
With the signing of Darwin Nunez from Benfica this summer, expect Trent to match or exceed that assist tally with Liverpool adding that extra physicality to their frontline.
