Trent Alexander-Arnold looks noticeably bigger these days and Jamie Carragher has picked up on his fellow Scouser’s transformation.
When the right-back first burst onto the scene, he was scrawny but clearly ridiculously talented. So good was Trent that Jurgen Klopp benched Mr Reliable, Nathaniel Clyne, to make room.
At the age of just 23, Trent Alexander-Arnold has won every club trophy available to Liverpool, lifting the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, FA Cup and the League Cup.
🔐 Most chances created from open-play of full-backs in the Premier League this season:
1️⃣ Trent Alexander-Arnold – 47
2️⃣ Andy Robertson – 38
3️⃣ Marc Cucurella – 38
4️⃣ Reece James – 36
5️⃣ Joao Cancelo – 34 pic.twitter.com/boWxcRvxrg— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 19, 2022
He has also won the UEFA Super Cup but that isn’t a major honour so it doesn’t count. Neither does the Community Shield which Trent is yet to win but he could at the start of next season.
Now, however, Trent is starting to appear much bigger physically which has aided his defensive ability as he’s no longer bullied as he used to be by stronger wingers and strikers.
Jamie Carragher has picked up on Alexander-Arnold’s physical transformation and says he looks more like a “real man” in the Liverpool shirt.
Carragher on Alexander-Arnold: “He looks like he’s bulked up. He has filled out and he’s just getting bigger and stronger. He looks a lot more like a real man in that shirt.” pic.twitter.com/m8Pp3XS1YC
— Anfield Edition (@AnfieldEdition) May 19, 2022
The £160,000/week Liverpool fullback has set the benchmark for attacking fullbacks in Europe over the last few seasons and it’s not unlikely that he overtakes Dani Alves’ in a statistical sense.
The Barcelona legend has 60 goals and 172 assists in his career but is 39 now and not making as much of an impact as he once did on the right flank when he was blessed to play with Lionel Messi.
Alexander-Arnold has 16 goals and 66 assists at 23 and if he is able to play in an attacking team as gifted as this Liverpool side for most of his career, he will not struggle to match and even better Alves’ incredible stats.
The Scouser is constantly compared to other fullbacks like Reece James or Joao Cancelo whenever one of them scores or registers an assist.
Most goals + assists by defenders in the Premier League this season:
◎ 14 – Trent Alexander-Arnold
◉ 13 – Reece James
◎ 12 – Andy RobertsonRJ in a Liverpool sandwich. 🥪 pic.twitter.com/O5Vt03Kfnx
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 19, 2022
For the third time in his fledgling career, Trent will appear in a Champions League final and for the second time against Real Madrid.
He, alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah, will be desperate for revenge against Los Blancos after they were beaten 3-1 in 2018 but Liverpool are much stronger now and will be hoping to show the La Liga outfit and the world what they’re made of.
