‘I will not be satisfied until I captain Liverpool’
Sport
At Liverpool’s training ground, Melwood, an eight-year-old autograph hunter waits at the gates. Others are pushing the nearby wheelie bins against the grey perimeter wall, jumping aboard to help catch a glimpse of the superstars beyond it. The eight-year-old hunts for a gap in the brickwork so he can take a peek.
Ten years on, that child has made it to the other side.
This is Trent Alexander-arnold, Liverpool’s latest academy graduate, reminiscing about his younger self as he makes the daily drive past a new generation of stargazers.
“I just used to try to look in the cars as they went past. I used to squint through the cracks in the wall and watch them train,” recalls the 18-year-old. “I had a lot of idols like Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Xabi Alonso – all of them. I really looked up to them.
“We live just by the Jolly Miller [pub], literally around the corner from the training ground, so it was an opportunity to see them. I’d never really seen them close up.”
Now Alexander-arnold is adjusting to life behind that wall. Not since Gerrard broke through in 1998 has a home-grown player generated such a stir at Anfield. Plenty have made the trip from the academy at Kirkby to Melwood, but the expectation surrounding Alexander-arnold is tangible. Gerrard is among the cheerleaders. “Trent’s going to be a beauty,” the former captain said recently.
This certainty has not yet penetrated the national psyche, but – injury permitting – it will not be long. Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, has struck the balance between swift elevation and protection of the versatile defender.
Although still cover for Nathaniel Clyne, the teenager stepped up most impressively in making his first Premier League start when Liverpool travelled to Old Trafford this season.
Alexander-arnold has been withdrawn from this summer’s England Under-19 European Championship campaign because Klopp will push him further next season. Call it a spoiler alert, but he will dominate the ‘one to watch’ nominations from Merseyside in August’s pre-season specials.
He is not shy to promote lofty ambitions. “I’ve achieved my goals, but not my dream yet,” says Alexander-arnold. “The dream is to captain Liverpool. There will be goals to achieve along the way, but until I captain Liverpool I will not be satisfied.
“It goes back to Steven Gerrard. He was my idol – seeing him wearing that armband week in, week out. I always wanted to be like him, so wearing that armband would mean a lot to me.
“Until I am playing every game all season for a couple of seasons I am always going to be striving for better. You can never be comfortable because there is either someone to compete with or someone coming up to take your position. You can never relax or be too complacent. Someone will try to get the shirt off you.
“There has not really been a player coming through at Liverpool in a while, but I don’t see it as pressure. I just want to do it. There is a pathway and as long as I stay on the straight and narrow of that pathway – don’t get led astray – I have a chance.
“I know I’m far from making it and I’m far from reaching my full potential. I know I always have to work hard off the pitch.”
Captaincy is quite a target for one so young, but unsurprising to those who have nurtured urtured the Liverpool-born defender. efender. He was first signed aged six after his name was picked out of a lucky dip at the nearby primary school, St Matthew’s.
“I got drawn out ut of the hat for the summer camp. amp. Once I went up there, one ne of the coaches asked my y mum if I could start going up on a regular basis,” he recalls.
He briefly traineded at Everton at that time me
– and his uncle John hn [a former player at
Millwall and Reading] ding] is Manchester United’s ited’s club secretary – but hiss loyalties are clear. “I always knew new that I wanted to play forr Liverpool,” he says.
Gerrard’s passionon for ensuring Scouse blood flows ws through the team will assist him.m. “He’s been really helpful,” says ys Alexander- Arnold. “I went tot the academy a couple of weeks ago and had a sit down with Steven and Alex Inglethorpe [academy director] tot talk about my progress and what I still need to work on, everythingeveryt like that. He’s toldto me that he’s always there for me if I ever needn to question something because he’s been in my position and it really helpshelp me to have a mentor withinwi the club. If I ever do needn the support I’ll definitelydefinite go to him.” This is justju the start for Alexander-arnoldAlexander-a – a breakthroughbreakthrou year but one of subtle, re relatively low-key progression.pro
“It has beenbee a big step for me. I never reallyre expected it