‘Stunning’, ‘Beautiful’ – UK media rave about Liverpool ace after what he did for int’l side
The UK media have waxed lyrical about Trent Alexander-Arnold after the Liverpool star produced a “stunning” performance for England in the 3-1 win against Finland on Sunday (13 October).
Alexander-Arnold has enjoyed a resurgence for the national side under Lee Carsley, starting all four of England’s UEFA Nations League ties after a torrid spell on the bench at Euro 2024 under Gareth Southgate.
The win over Finland was a much more joyous occasion than the 2-1 loss to Greece at Wembley on Thursday [10 October].
Jack Grealish opened the scoring for The Three Lions at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium before Alexander-Arnold doubled the advantage with a stunning free-kick, with Declan Rice then sealing the victory for the visitors with a third before Arttu Hoskonen netted a late consolation.
The Daily Express [13 October] couldn’t get enough of the full-back, awarding him an 8/10 rating and adding: “The latest experiment from Carsley to try and fix England’s left-back problem. Looked comfortable enough and proved his worth with a stunning free-kick to put England two goals ahead.”
Meanwhile, The Independent [14 October] ran out of superlatives to describe his performance but awarded a more modest 7/10 rating, writing: “Enjoyed a good night even before his stunning free-kick to double England’s lead.
“Starting at left-back for the first time in his career, Alexander-Arnold saw a lot of the ball and dictated England’s play from the left channel. Clicked well with Bellingham, Grealish and Gomes and the set-piece was a reminder of his quality.”
The Telegraph [13 October] agreed with the rating, writing: “Beautiful free-kick for his goal. New option for England in problem left-back position, where he had not played for Liverpool this season.”
Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold finally getting recognition
It is about time the neutrals finally caught up on the quality of Alexander-Arnold. Liverpool fans have been saying this for years, during which time his wings were cut for the national time by former boss Southgate.
The 26-year-old is back to his best for the Reds this season and it feels we may be witnessing what could be yet another fantastic campaign from the vice-captain.
However, his long-term future at Anfield remains in doubt as rumours persist of Real Madrid circling to secure his signature at the end of the season with his contract into the final 12 months.
Fenway Sports Group must answer for their negligence. Three of the club’s star performers – Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Alexander-Arnold – are into the final year of their contracts and it seems all but certain not all will remain on Merseyside beyond the current season.
Trent is a world-class talent and deserves to be competing for the highest honours season in and season out, but Liverpool supporters will be concerned whether the full-back fancies his chances of becoming the latest Galactico at Real Madrid.
For now, the hope remains he will extend his stay at his boyhood club and is rightfully rewarded with a deal that will recognise his achievements with the Reds.
It is great to see his name shown in a positive light in the UK media for once. What took them so long to catch on?
In other Liverpool news, Caoimhin Kelleher shows he’s first-team ready for the Reds, he was ‘outstanding’ for his country.
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