Danny Murphy lauds Trent Alexander-Arnold after Liverpool win

Add as preferred source on Google

Danny Murphy has told Match of the Day that Trent Alexander-Arnold showed tremendous character to produce such a performance in Liverpool’s win over Arsenal following his omission from the latest England squad.

It caught many off-guard when Gareth Southgate decided to leave Alexander-Arnold out for the first three World Cup qualifiers last month.

Admittedly, the Reds starlet has not been at his best for much of this season. But there is no denying how good he can be.

And if Southgate was hoping that not picking the 22-year-old would spark a reaction, he certainly got his wish at the weekend.

Alexander-Arnold was outstanding as Jurgen Klopp’s side beat the Gunners 3-0 at the Emirates. It was his outrageous cross that set up Diogo Jota for the opening goal.

And following the game, Murphy insisted that the Liverpool man produced the perfect response to the surprise setback.

“Tremendous mental strength, character from a young player,” he told Match of the Day. “He could have felt sorry for himself. There has been a lot of opinion on who should play in the first XI. I don’t think any of us were surprised that he might not start but to not be in the squad was a real shock.

“But you’ve just got to let the pictures do the talking. He consistently makes fantastic choices in the final third of the pitch. This is from a full-back, a young man who every time he gets in there is calm and he picks the right pass.

“He’s actually a match-winner as a full-back.”

TBR View: Alexander-Arnold’s absence from England squad cannot last long

Southgate is arguably asking for trouble if Alexander-Arnold is not back in the next squad. As Murphy notes, he has the potential to change a game in a moment.

England are very strong at right-back. But there are not many who can compete with the Liverpool star when it comes to making an impact further up the field.

So leaving him out of the squad for Euro 2020 would surely be a huge mistake.