Trent Alexander-Arnold Believes Midfield is His Best Shot of Shining for England
Trent Alexander-Arnold believes becoming Gareth Southgate’s midfield dynamo is his best shot of shining for England. After excelling in a roaming role in Friday’s 4-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win in Malta, the Liverpool star is looking to make the most of his positional change at Anfield and put questions into the manager’s mind.
Exploring a New Role
Alexander-Arnold, first played in midfield by Southgate against Andorra in 2021, has also seen his role at Liverpool evolve and feels the position is a strong option with England given the competition at right-back. He said: “It’s certainly an avenue. One that is clearly being explored and is something the manager wants to explore and I want to explore. It is one that is exciting for the future and who knows?”
Adapting to the Change
The 24-year-old finished the season in a more advanced central role for Liverpool and admits his positional change has been tricky. He said: “There were a lot of questions involved. There was me asking questions and absorbing a lot of information about where I needed to be and how I need to play the game. There was also me feeling natural in there, feeling like it is something I’ve always done and something I could do regularly. I would say it was definitely a mixture of both.”
Gaining Southgate’s Confidence
England host North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday, with Southgate considering using Alexander-Arnold in midfield again. Southgate knows playing for his nation has not been straightforward for him and said: “For me, the most pleasing part is that a lot of time with England it’s been difficult. Not our relationship as I’ve always got on well with him, but you’re giving him a lot on confidence because you’re investing in him something specific where he will have different feel about it. I’m sure he will probably have enjoyed this England game more than any other.”
Conclusion
Trent Alexander-Arnold believes that playing in midfield is his best chance to shine for England and make an impact on the team. He has adapted to his new role at Liverpool and is looking to put questions into Southgate’s mind with his performances. Southgate knows that playing for his nation has not been straightforward for Alexander-Arnold, but he is confident that he can make an impact with his new position.