Former Liverpool academy coach and current Rangers first team coach Michael Beale believes the challenge for Trent Alexander-Arnold is to now consistently perform at the top level for the next decade.
A product of the Liverpool academy, the 21-year-old has been one of the major success stories of the club’s youth system in recent years.
He has firmly established himself as one of the first names on Jurgen Klopp’s team-sheet and is widely considered to be one of the best attacking full-backs in world football.
With 14 assists this season, the full-back has again contributed immensely and Beale, who worked with the player in the Reds academy, feels pride at watching him develop at Anfield.
The former Liverpool academy coach stressed that he was certain that Alexander-Arnold would make it at Anfield and feels the challenge now for him is to remain the best in the world for the next decade.
He also thinks Alexander-Arnold is the symbol of what the Liverpool academy can produce going forward.
“Trent makes me smile every time I see him play. I just think ‘wow’”, Beale told The Athletic’s Red Agenda Podcast.
“I’ve seen him grow and get better and better and better. I thought he would break through and eventually take Nathaniel Clyne’s shirt.
“Now I think he’s the best in his position in the world, and that’s the jackpot for any academy. It doesn’t happen often. The challenge for Trent is to stay there for the next 10 years.
“Trent is the ultimate success story for the academy. A player who has been at the club since the age of six and is now in the first team, plus how humble he is and everything he stands for.”
The 21-year-old has already made 125 appearances for the Reds and is likely to be a key man in the team for the next decade.
